Perfect
by hanabananana
Summary: AU-Kurt is a Genetically Engineered and Modified Life Form. He was created artificially by scientists and is used as a guinea pig for their research in genes and gene technology; their aim being to create the perfect set of genes to auction off to the world. Kurt is their first prototype, his only responsibility to be as close to perfection as possible. Until he meets Blaine.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay this is my fic for the KBL reversebang that was organized on livejournal! **  
**I worked with the amazing Alibody (over on tumblr, go check her out!) to create this fic. Her art is spectacular and she is just a wonderful person; I enjoyed every moment of working with her!**

**Also, thank you so so****much to my beta, Sandra, she was a huge help and really efficient! Love love for youu! :D**

**Rated T for violence, minor sexual abuse and minor character death **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

One fidgets uncomfortably under the white glare of the overhead lights. The room is empty apart from himself and the multitude of wires and tubes trailing from his bare body. As always it's cold and the pristine, stainless steel floor sends shivers running up and down his hairless legs. He sees himself in the reflection of the huge glass pane in front of him, it's one-way so _they_ can see him but One can't see them. His reflection is pale as usual; _too pale_ he's been told over and over, but they're working on that, changing pigments and proteins to form every shade imaginable. He flushes at the unbroken view of his own body, moving his hand as he has done a thousand times before to cover himself only to be jolted back by the familiar pulse of the electric shock that burns him. He's surprised he hasn't learned his lesson by now; they want to _see_.

One's least favourite day, without a doubt, is Inspection Day, but then, what is there to like about being marched into a stark white, freezing cold room, completely naked, and then having someone tell you every tiny thing that is wrong with your body? Well, could he really call it _his_ body? It didn't feel like his body.

"Prototype One" A robotic voice announces from a lone speaker placed just under the glass. _Prototype One, _that's One's full name and he hates it. _Kurt_ he thinks, _my name is Kurt_. He isn't sure why they bothered giving him that name at all –they never use it – but it's a real, _human_ name and it's all he has to remind himself that he is, in fact, human. After all, everything else about his existence is anything but human; Kurt feels like a machine, created by these scientists to serve one purpose: to be nothing less than perfect in every single way.  
"Please turn to your left," the voice instructs and Kurt does so, keen to avoid another shock. He stands there in silence for a few moments until the voice instructs him to turn yet again so that his back is facing the glass. He tenses as he can feel the countless number eyes of behind the glass scrutinizing over every last inch of his body. Vulnerability plagues him every time he enters this room.

Eventually he's facing the front again and the worst is yet to come. After the visual examination comes the list.  
"Thank you Prototype One," the metallic voice says before listing each and every flaw the examiners found on Kurt's body.

_Too Pale_

_Pear hips_

_Stocky frame_

_Nose too wide_

Those are the points he hears week in week out, they haven't yet altered the genes to 'fix' them yet but nonetheless they make the effort to point them out with each examination. Then there are the things that change with each inspection:

_Facial blemish_

He can't help if he has spots. _They _can though, and development into the reduction of acne is currently taking place.

_Eyebrows too thick_

Kurt sighs. That means more body hair reduction. They'd already altered that gene before; it was one of the first things they changed when he had hit puberty and now he was forever unable to grow hair on his legs or underarms or anywhere else that wasn't his head, his body simply didn't have the means to do so.

The list goes on and on and Kurt feels each comment like a physical strike. He has one job in life _one job_ and he can't even do that right.

"Thank you Prototype One. Please exit via the door on your right." The wires release themselves from Kurt and retreat to the small box located next to the speaker before he moves to leave, passing Two on his way out.

"Prototype Two," he hears the voice announce before the door slides shut, locking automatically.

Kurt takes the grey robe hung beside an identical one on an adjacent hook in the conjoining chamber, flinging it over his shoulders and fastening the front though he doesn't see why he should bother, he's only going to take it off again shortly. He exits through another automatic door, leaving Two to his inspection.

Kurt finds himself, predictably, in the painfully plain waiting room. Three and Four sit on the pale green sofa, waiting for inspection, except their names aren't Three and Four their names are Jay and Grace. The only people who refer to them by numbers are the scientists who run the Dalton Research Laboratory and Jay, number Three. Kurt's fairly certain he's never heard Jay utter anything other than their numbers on the rare occasions she talks to them.

Still, Kurt offers an encouraging smile to both girls. Grace, sitting with both hands clasped between her knees, returns it with her own delicate smile, though it looks more like a grimace, while Jay only glares at him coldly. Kurt never did like Jay anyway. Kurt is then hastily ushered out by a white Lab Coat. That's all they are to him, Lab Coats with different hair styles. The Lab Coat – this one with a shaved head – leads him through the familiar hallway as he does every week after the visual inspection. Kurt knows what's coming, it's difficult not to. He follows, trailing slightly behind as he brushes a finger against the shiny steel walls of the building. Everything is so _clean_ and he feels a small sense of satisfaction at the fingerprints he leaves behind on the surface, blemishing its flawless sheen.

"You know the drill, One," the Lab Coat says standing by yet another automated door. Kurt undoes the grey robe, handing it to the Lab Coat who then presses a code into a keypad on the wall. The door opens immediately and Kurt steps through shortly before it slides shut silently. He waits; it is difficult to tell whether he's moving or not, the elevator makes no noise whatsoever and the only indication that he's moved at all is when the door opens once more to reveal a new room with several more Lab Coats to greet him. Two of them, one with short blond hair and a red head with a ponytail grab a bare arm on either side and guide him to the examination table, the _cold_ examination table.

The room is much less empty than the visual inspection room, besides the Lab Coats themselves, the room consists of numerous shelves containing strange devices that Kurt isn't sure he wants to find out the purpose for. Needles of all shapes and sizes, bottles filled with strangely coloured liquids and four neatly lined up syringes all inhabit the room despite them never actually being used.

"Prototype one," the last Lab Coat, a mature, grey-haired man announces as he reads from his clipboard. "Are you ready for your weekly physical examination?" Kurt remains silent as he perches himself upon the icy metal. It's not as if he could say anything to change what was about to happen. The visual examination was bad enough but the physical was nothing more than a violation of his body. He doesn't much like the feeling of being probed by people though he prefers it by far to being probed by a machine. They register his oxygen level, blood sugar level, blood pressure, heart rate and so on, the female Lab Coats writing numbers down as they are read out from the monitor Kurt is hooked up to.

"Open your mouth," the grey-haired Lab Coat instructs and Kurt obliges as a thermometer is placed under his tongue.

"Have you been feeling feverish?" Kurt shakes his head, no. "Coughing or sneezing fits?"

No. The answer is always no.

"Nausea or dizziness?"

Another shake of the head.

"Anything at all you think we might need to know?" the Lab Coat is patient and somewhat gentle with his questioning as he removes the thermometer but it's not enough to bring Kurt to like him.

"No," he answers with finality.

More tubes and wires are attached to his body, collecting data for every imaginable variable. A blood sample is taken, the piercing needle still causing Kurt to flinch despite the hundreds of times they have done this before. He sees the thick red liquid seeping into the small vial, his own blood, though really it never belonged to him in the first place.

When it seems the Lab Coats have finished probing him, they gather at the desk on the other side of the room, Kurt sitting stiffly on the metal table, legs hanging obsoletely. They gather their notes arranging and compare thoughts as they do every week. Kurt catches snippets of their conversation; _Skin feels dry, hair too thin, fingernails are brittle, _more flaws, more imperfections. They never comment on the good things, only on what needs improving.

The grey haired Lab Coat hands Kurt a fresh robe, signifying the end of the physical examination as he is directed towards the next room. The door slides shut behind him as they begin preparing for Two's arrival. In the next room, only one Lab Coat is awaiting him, a dark haired man with an unfriendly face but a kind voice. The room is very much like the previous one, medical equipment lines the shelves and the same four syringes sit in a perfect line amongst the clutter of instruments.

"Prototype One, have a seat." Kurt does so, glad that his examination is almost over for the week and forever thankful that he's allowed to remain clothed for the remainder. Several moments pass in silence as the Lab Coat scribbles notes down on his clipboard. Kurt has no idea what he could possibly have so much to write about.  
"Okay," he eventually begins, "if you could cover one eye and read aloud each row of letters on the chart." Kurt reads the letters with ease as he does every week. The Lab Coat is pleased; the genes for perfect eyesight are likely to be popular when they are ready to go on sale.

They do some small exercises, a memory game, problem solving, the Lab Coat even has Kurt juggle three small balls to test his hand eye coordination as he constantly scrawls down notes.

"Thank you, One. I think we're finished for this week," the Lab Coat concluded and Kurt moves to the elevator, waiting patiently for him to punch in the pass code. On his way down (he was fairly sure it was down at least) Kurt quickly runs his mind through everything he had learned the past week; the written examination was last.

The same shaved headed Lab Coat from before meets him when the elevator doors slide open and he is lead once again through another impossibly shiny hallway.

They reach the final room, the same white walls, the same cold floor; he wished he could be allowed to wear shoes for the rest of the day at least. A lone desk and chair is placed in the centre of the room, metal and cold like everything else with a test paper and a pen placed neatly on top. Kurt takes a seat facing the mirror-like glass where he _knows_ there are people watching him from behind as he waits. He can't start yet, he needs to be connected. Several seconds of silence pass before things begin to move. Thick metal wires emerge from the black box below the glass, they snake towards him writhing and almost alive as Kurt clenches his teeth. They slither up his legs, several attaching themselves there and others moving further upwards. Some bond to his arms and he watches with morbid curiosity as the head of one breaks off into hundreds of miniscule fibres, no thicker than a strand of hair, and embed themselves in his skin. He feels nothing more than a slight tingle vibrating through his body but no pain. Most of the wires climb higher, reaching his head as they begin to penetrate. There is the central point for the examination; brain activity. He waits for them to bond, scrunching his eyes tight as the tingling reaches his head and tapping his fingers nervously against the cool, metal desk.

"You have one hour. Please answer every question. Good luck," another metallic voice announces from the speaker. Kurt shivers slightly, adjusting himself to the new attachments before picking up the provided pen and getting to work. Throughout the week they are given lessons, mostly in mathematics but also history, languages, essay writing and a brief amount of literature; the books they are permitted to read are limited. They are not however taught science; science is forbidden. Every Sunday, on inspection day they are given an exam to test their ability to learn and retain knowledge. Mostly the test covers things they have learned recently but sometimes a question is thrown in from something they covered months or even years ago.

A clock is projected onto the wall to his left and Kurt begins. The written examination is the least mortifying part of inspection day. He's still being watched but at least he can be clothed and he usually scores fairly high on the test, giving him one thing at the very least to feel good about himself for.

Just like his physical appearance, it is essential that Kurt also has a perfect mind. The genes that developed his brain will sell for a lot once they are perfected and in order for that to happen, the Lab Coats need to register just how efficient his brain already is.

Kurt is a Mod, also recognised as a Genetically Engineered and Modified Life Form. He is human to an extent, he has human cells, human DNA, human genes, but his entire existence was built piece by piece by scientists. Every gene in his body was constructed individually, the polynucleotides were constructed from organic bases formed in laboratories and the genome painstakingly sequenced over years of development.

The purpose of Kurt and the three other Mods is to be completely and utterly perfect in every way possible. Each gene was constructed with specific traits in mind, desirable traits with the intention of being sold to the public once the development is complete. Every tiny fraction of Kurt that could be improved in the slightest is pinpointed and amended. There are easy fixes, his hair colour that has been darkened, eye pigments that have been altered and the body hair that he is no longer able to grow. Other, larger, visible flaws are recorded and the specific gene for that aspect is located in a DNA sample and changed, ready for implantation in the next generation of Mods while at the same time measures are taken place to alter the same aspects on the existing Mods, usually through surgical means.

People crave perfection and many of the simpler genes are already available. Parents-to-be buy the traits they want their children to be born with, traits that have been grown on the four Mods over years of development. The process comes at a price, currently ranging between $1,000 to $15,000, though they predict, once the advance genes for brain activity and vital organs have been perfected, those prices will reach well above $250,000.

Kurt finishes the last question, smiling at what he's fairly certain is the correct answer and glancing towards the projection of a clock; still fifteen minutes left of his assigned hour, he always finishes early. He revises his answers one last time before waiting out the remainder of the hour, his fingers once again tapping absently on the desk.

A high-pitched screech echoes around the room when the hour is up. The clock fades away and the wires begin to disentangle themselves from him as the door slides open, releasing him from the white room. No voices, nothing to announce that he is finished because it is never finished, he will come back at the end of next week and do the same thing all over again.

At the door, the white Lab Coat is waiting for him to take him back to the recreation room. One good thing about inspection day is that they are given the rest of the day to themselves, a break from the constant experiments and education they are put through.

Kurt is the first to arrive back, the others all still taking the written examination. He quickly changes out of the generic robe and into the slightly-less-generic-than-regular clothing that has been laid out for him beside the door before taking his place on the soft white sofa, picking up where he left off in the book he was reading. It's a difficult story to follow as he doesn't understand much - or anything really - about the world outside the laboratory and relies on his imagination to provide an image for most things. Creatures that he's only ever heard the name of take various different shapes and sizes in his mind and Kurt wonders if he's even close to what they really look like.

It isn't long before the familiar sliding of the automatic doors interrupts Kurt from his book as Two moodily storms into the rec room, snatching his own pile of clothes and ripping off the white robe. Kurt rolls his eyes at the other boy; it's not like they've never seen each other naked but a little courtesy isn't too much to ask.

"Welcome back, Sebastian," Kurt says, falsely optimistic as he returns to his book.

"I can't stand it, I just. Can't. _Stand_ it," Sebastian fumes, clenching his fist as he breathes a shaky huff. He takes a seat next to Kurt, resting his elbows on his knees while clawing at his hair in frustration. Kurt puts down his book as he gives Sebastian an annoyed look. It would be easier to sympathize with Sebastian if he didn't give the same affected spiel every week. "My front teeth are too big, I'm too tall, too thin, what do they _want _from me? Last week I was too chubby and the week before that they said I was too short," he says helplessly

"It can't be for much longer," Kurt says comfortingly, though it's more for himself than Sebastian. "Soon they'll be ready to start the cloning, then they'll have a new generation to work with, one that's closer to what they want than we are and they won't have any use for us. Maybe they'll let us go," Kurt says matter-of-factly though Sebastian only scoffs.

"You really think they'll just let us _go?_" he asks condescendingly. Kurt shrugs.

"What else do we have to hope for?" he asks rhetorically, eyes distant as he tries not to imagine the unthinkable.

"You're right, maybe they'll let us go," Sebastian says though Kurt knows he's only trying to patronise him. "How was your inspection?"

"Same as always," Kurt says sighing, "I think I did well on the written exam though."

"Yeah we'll see about that."

"Please, like you'll ever come _close_ to beating my 94 from last month," Kurt sneers.

Competing is all they have to keep them going. With nothing else to occupy them with other than learning, it has become a weekly tradition between Sebastian and Kurt to outdo each other on the written exam.

Sebastian stands, making his way to the chess table beside the sofa. He picks up the white King and throws it to Kurt who catches it effortlessly.

"Game?" Kurt smiles despite himself, abandoning the book to join Sebastian at the table.

They play three games, Kurt winning two of them, before Jay storms in.

"Bad day, Scalpelface?" Sebastian asks nonchalantly as he moves his knight.

"Shut _up_, Two," she fumes as she stands before the mirror, poking and prodding at her own face. "They still don't like my lips," she mutters angrily. Out of the four of them, Jay has had the most alterations done by surgery though you wouldn't be able to tell from looking at her. Everything _looks_ natural, as it should be, but the face staring coldly through the mirror is the not the face Kurt remembers from even just a year ago. He does feel sorry for her but he knows there's no use in showing his sympathy, she'd only throw it back in his face. Fortunately, he doesn't have to put up with her much as Inspection Day is the only day he and Sebastian are with the girls for any length of time. During the week their daily schedules don't match up for longer than five minutes and they're only forced together for a brief amount of time in the evening. The girl snatches up her pile of clothes and storms to the changing room; she doesn't come out again.

"Checkmate," Kurt says in a bored voice as Grace finally returns, looking gloomy but without the furiousness that Sebastian and Jay had entered with. She takes her clothes and goes to the changing room without a word, returning not long after, still looking glum.

"You okay?" Kurt asks and she nods in reply as he stands, allowing her to take his place as Sebastian arranges the table for a new game. Kurt returns to his book, grinning to himself every time Grace beats Sebastian at chess. He envies their bond; they are both the creation of Professor Jameson and their genotype has a lot of similarities. Anyone who didn't know would probably assume they were related from looking at them and especially so from the way Sebastian cares for her. She's the only person Kurt has ever seen him act anything less than aggressive towards so he's glad for that. They all need something, Kurt has his books; Sebastian has Grace.

The time passes quickly and soon the huge black screen that decorates the otherwise empty walls of the rec room comes to life, Kurt, Sebastian and Grace all drop what they were doing to pay attention. First the date is shown in thick white letters against the dark screen before their individual alteration schedules for the week are shown. Kurt is first and he's relieved to see they won't be operating on him this week but he's still scheduled for somatic cell gene therapy on Wednesday. Sebastian is next and, like him, he only has gene therapy to deal with for the week. Jay's number three fills the screen but she still hasn't returned from the changing room, understandable when he sees the two operations she's scheduled for as well as gene therapy. Lastly, a number four replaces Jay's busy schedule, but nothing follows, no therapy, no operations, nothing. Grace is close to what the Lab Coats are trying to achieve - not perfect, but close. They've already taken note of everything they want different and her second generation clone is already being developed. This would be a good thing except Kurt knows she gets a lot of hassle from Jay for it, Jay who is probably the furthest from perfect out of all of them. That, and there's the small matter of what exactly will happen once her second generation is created. They might let her go.

They might not.

Grace is pretty; she would have to be. She has a petite quality to her and Kurt has always admired how soft her hair is but he can't see how she's any more 'perfect' than Jay. But then again, Kurt doesn't exactly think of girls in that way.

The four numbers are on the screen again and to the right of each one is their percentage score on the written exam. Kurt scans through the short list, he scored an 89, beating Sebastian by 2 percent, Jay has an 83 and Grace…

"A ninety nine?" Sebastian exclaims, "How do you even _do_ that?" he asks, clapping her on the back, she smiles tentatively and despite Sebastian's attempt at lightening the mood with his congratulations, the air is thick. No one knows what will happen if she ever gets a full score. Which, sooner or later, she inevitably will; the wires are there for a reason and if one of them intentionally puts the wrong answer, _they_ know about it and the electric shocks delivered through wires connected to their brains are enough to ensure it never happens again.

Sooner or later, Grace will be perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt opens his eyes, groggy and dull from sleep but otherwise well rested. He yawns quietly, wincing a little when he accidentally tugs on the wires connected to his right arm before waiting patiently for them to retreat now that he's awoken. Sleep is an essential aspect in the Mod's schedule. They are monitored throughout the night for significant brain activity and are fed through miniscule tubes to replenish their energy.

It takes Kurt several moments to focus as he wakes. He sees the grey and silver walls of his sleeping chamber, round, tube-like and horribly claustrophobic but it's the place where he is granted the most privacy, so he won't complain. He knows he has probably less than a minute before he is ushered away for his lessons. He yawns again before sitting back, taking in the familiar surroundings he has woken up to every day for the last 18 years, wondering briefly if he'll ever wake up to something different; something _more._

As if on cue, the cylinder begins to shift, splitting open at the top. A Lab Coat is waiting to give him his schedule for the day; Music, Languages, Break, Mathematics, Literature, Physical education, Free time, Curfew.

Kurt frowns at the paper; Music? He's heard of it before, mentioned in the books he reads but has never fully understood the concept entirely. Everything he reads describes it as something different, some say music is sorrowful, other say it lifts moods to soar as high as the clouds- whatever clouds are- Some say music is moving whereas others specify it as obsolete and pointless. Is it an object? Can you hold it? Kurt has always thought of music as like a box, a box where all of these strange 'feelings' are kept. He isn't entirely sure what feelings are either, but the people in his books talk about them vastly so they must be important and the so called music always seems to free them.

Kurt thinks that yes, he would like to learn about music and finds himself suddenly and genuinely excited for the first time in a very long time.

A Lab Coat leads him down to the education facility , endless hallways with many doors opening upon many rooms, every single one of them is identical and none of them contain much more than a desk and maybe some books. Each of the prototypes are educated separately as it is _'Imperative that the prototypes display the ability to learn independently.'_ The room that Kurt is directed to, however, is like nothing he has ever seen. Strange contraptions of all shapes and sizes littered about the place, filling the usually hollow space. Some are brass and tube like, others wooden with what looks like wires stretched across them. Kurt can't help but wonder if these are some new experiment devices until his eyes land on the biggest object in the room; a shiny, black box with what looks like Black and white teeth spread across the front.

_That must be what a music is…_ Kurt can't help but think as he takes a seat at the desk provided in the centre of the room, he doesn't permit himself to touch anything; from what he's read, music seems like a dangerous thing. He sits for several minutes, wondering where his teacher is and if perhaps he had been taken to the wrong room until the door slides open and a dishevelled looking Lab Coat with dark, gelled hair stumbles into the room.

"Sorry I'm late!" he apologises profusely, confusing Kurt even more. He says nothing as the Lab Coat drops a mass of papers onto the table. He glances at them curiously, only to find pages upon pages of text written in what must be another language built up of thick circles joint together on five small lines.

Kurt sighs, music is probably just another language that he has to learn, not whatever he had built it up to be in his mind although that still doesn't explain the presence of the strange contraptions littered around the room.

"My name's Blaine," the Lab Coat continues, "You can call me Professor Anderson if you want to but I honestly don't mind either way." He extends a hand to Kurt who merely blinks at it, still keeping his mouth shut. A Lab Coat has never formally introduced themself to him or any of the other prototypes before. They have their name on a badge on their coat but Kurt never bothers to even read them, let alone remember their names. After all why should he?

The Lab Coat retracts his hand awkwardly after Kurt does nothing more than just stare at it blankly, and he takes a seat. A silence spreads between them, broken only by the shuffling of paper as the Lab Coat attempts to find something amongst the mass of sheets on the table.

"Aha!" he exclaims, pulling a sheet free, one with English writing on it this time. "Prototype One," he mumbles, scanning the page. Kurt nods once in affirmation. "Your name doesn't seem to be on here…uh," Blaine prompts as Kurt's head snaps up.

"Yes it is," he responds, it's the first thing he's said to the strange new Lab Coat. He leans over the table, pointing at something on the sheet. "Right here."

"But…that just says Prototype One." Kurt just blinks in response. "That's your name?"

"It's what the rest of you call me," he says bluntly, he isn't trying to be rude but this is the closest Kurt's ever come to having an actual conversation with a Lab Coat, he can't help but be defensive.

"Okay…P-Prototype One," Blaine says, testing the name, "I'm your new music teacher, I'll be covering both the theory and the practical side, I've managed to sweet talk my way into getting some actual musical instruments in here so we can see which ones you like the sound of and we'll go from there," Blaine explains enthusiastically. Kurt nods though he isn't entirely sure what he's agreeing to. _Like the sound of _what_ exactly?_  
"But first of all, I want to test how much you already know. Music is a diverse subject and everyone sees it differently. Some people are more prone to the theory whereas others can't even read a note despite the fact that they've been playing for years." Kurt attempts to follow what Blaine is saying however he might as well be speaking in a foreign language, much like the strange symbols littering the sheets on the table. "So I really want to know what category you fall into. How exactly would _you_ describe music?"

Kurt's mouth falls open as he tries to form an answer. He has barely understood anything of what Blaine has said and, looking around the room, he's fairly certain that anything he thought he might have known about the subject was decidedly wrong. Normally he doesn't mind being wrong, he can handle that, learn from his mistakes and move on, be better, but for some reason Kurt doesn't think he could take the look of disappointed he's surely receive when he admits to knowing nothing.

He settles on telling Blaine his box theory and once he's finished, he chances a look at the boy who can't be much older than him sitting across the table. The look on his face says it all and Kurt turns his gaze down again in shame. He clearly couldn't be more wrong.

"That's a really interesting interpretation," he says softly. "I'm much the same, I use music as a means of escape, to just let my emotions out and _breathe_." Kurt frowns; what does breathing have to do with music? The only time breathing is ever relevant is when he has to blow into a tube so the Lab Coats can record his lung capacity.

"C…Can I be honest?" Kurt mumbles, although his pride had gotten the better of him he really should come clean; he's here to learn after all, not pretend he already knows everything. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Blaine laughs gently at Kurt's confession, a soft yet affectionate sound the likes of which Kurt is sure he has never heard before.

"Sorry," he says, "I tend to hear things the way I want to hear them. What exactly did you mean then? About music being like a box."

"No…I mean," Kurt hesitates, wondering why he's so nervous around a Lab Coat, granted a Lab Coat who has said more words to him in ten minutes than all of the others ever have combined, but a Lab Coat all the same. "What I meant was…I have no idea what music is. At all." Blaine frowns and Kurt can't help but feel guilty.

"But you just explained so perfectly…" he wonders aloud. Kurt shrugs.

"I've read the word before in my books. I don't really understand what it means but that's what it seemed like to me," he explains. Blaine studies him carefully and Kurt shrinks back into the chair, suddenly more uncomfortable than when he's being inspected.

"So, you've never even heard a single note?" Blaine asks tentatively.

"What's a note?" This seems to answer Blaine's question as he heaves out a long sigh.

"Wow," he breathes, "That's…I can even imagine what that must be like…" Kurt shrugs again; he can't imagine what it must be like to know what music is. "I guess I've really got my work cut out for me," Blaine continues with a small laugh, "They told me I'd be teaching you guys about music but nobody mentioned anything like _this_."

Blaine rose from his chair, clapping his hands together determinedly "We have a lot of material to cover then so we'd best get started. Music is…it's…w-well," he stumbles and Kurt's eyes narrow.

"Are you sure _you_ know what it is?" Blaine laughs again, that strange yet beautiful sound that Kurt thinks he could definitely get used to.

"Yes," he replies childishly before gesturing for Kurt to stand, "come on, I think it would be best if I show you." Kurt follows Blaine to the big polished box with the black and white teeth as Blaine takes a seat on the bench in front of it.

"Is this a music?" Kurt asks, inspecting the contraption cautiously.

"No, this is called a piano, it _makes_ music," Blaine explains patiently. _Piano_, Kurt is sure he's heard the word before.

"So…like a music machine?"

"Exactly!" Kurt frowns, why couldn't Blaine have come with some music readymade? "Sit!" he instructs, patting the space next to him on the bench. Kurt obeys, still regarding the machine curiously. "Okay, first of all, music isn't…solid. It's not an object; it's a sound and kind of exactly what you described to me earlier just less literal."

"A sound," Kurt deliberates. He doesn't understand; what use is sound? All sound does is let the Lab Coats know that his hearing is working as efficiently as possible. "I don't get it, what's the point if it's just sound?" Blaine pauses for a moment, thinking carefully as Kurt waits.

"Well…it doesn't exactly have a _use_ as such. We listen to music if we want to feel happy and we can express ourselves by playing different kinds of music. It's…uh," Blaine sighs. "Maybe I should just play you something," he decides moving his hands to the black and white teeth on the piano. Kurt watches in confusion as he chooses one in particular and presses it, a deep, unfamiliar sound is emitted and Kurt jolts in surprise. "It's okay," Blaine comforts, "that was a note, middle C." he moves his hand back to the piano, this time pressing three different 'notes' at the same time and a fuller sound is produced. "That's a chord." Kurt nods, enraptured by the piano. "You can put different chords and notes together and they form…music!" Blaine says, smiling broadly and gesturing with his hands. He shuffles a little closer to Kurt so his hands can reach to both ends of the piano and Kurt fidgets nervously at the close proximity. Blaine places both hands on the piano, plays another chord, lets the sound echo throughout the room before shifting his hands slightly to play another, then another, the sounds blending into each other harmoniously as he picks up speed slightly, more sounds intertwining with each other as Blaine's fingers dance gracefully across the piano as if each had a mind of its own. Kurt's breath catches at the noise, the _music, _he'd never imagined mere sound could be so beautiful. He breathes shakily as he loses himself, the music surrounds every inch of his body and smothers him in a sensation he has never felt before. He shivers as he feels goose bumps spread across his arms, completely different from how he usually feels them, alone and naked in a cold, empty room.

The sound fills every corner of the room echoing off of the walls and filling the room. It is penetrating, more so than the wires so often connected to his skin, he feels it deep inside of him, trembling at the sheer amount of feeling.

Then all of a sudden, it's gone, a silence heavy and bleak abruptly taking its place. Kurt's eyes snap open, he hadn't even realised he had closed them in the first place.

"Are you okay? You're crying," Blaine says softly, his voice almost as beautiful as the sound his fingers were previously creating.

"Don't stop," Kurt whimpers, wiping at his damp eyes and marvelling at the wetness there. He knows what crying is; it's something that happens when he's scared or in pain. He cried the first time the crawling wires had scaled his body and embedded themselves under skin on their own accord. He still cries sometimes when he feels so hopeless he isn't sure if he can continue breathing. These tears, however, have no reason. He isn't scared or in pain like before, the very opposite and he's positive he never wants this moment to end.

Blaine resumes, slowly at first until he gets back into the pace and Kurt has to force himself to breathe. Blaine looks at him, smiling affectionately without missing a single note.

The piece soon ends with a perfect cadence and a sense of completion yet Kurt can't help but feel empty without it. The last echo soon fades into nothingness and neither of them says anything as Kurt allows everything to sink in. His whole life has been a struggle towards perfection, towards achieving someone else's idea of beauty, and for the first time Kurt finally has a sense of what that beauty feels like, _sounds_ like.

"That was Pachelbel's canon in D major," Blaine says, barely above a whisper and Kurt nods. "Do you want to have a try?" Kurt's head snaps up again, eyeing Blaine in confusion.

"I don't think I can do that," he admits sorrowfully.

"I'll help you, just play the notes instead of the chords," Blaine suggests, taking his hand and placing it on the piano. "Press this key," he instructs and Kurt does so, the piano singing in response to the touch, "now this one…and then that one," he points to each key and Kurt plays the melody slow and steadily.

"Can you remember that?" he asks once they've gone through the beginning of the piece several times. Kurt nods as Blaine places a hand on his side of the piano, they play through the beginning together, slowly as Kurt stumbles over some of the notes but Blaine doesn't seem to mind. It's nowhere near as moving as what Blaine just played but it's still the second most beautiful thing Kurt has ever heard.

"_The piano keys created elegant melodies that danced around the room,_" Kurt recites in a whisper, gazing down at the instrument.

"W…what?"

"I read that line in a book once. I read it over and over and every time it made no sense to me. I think I understand now." He looks at Blaine searchingly, "Thank you."

"Glad to help," Blaine says grinning, "we should probably move on to theory side of things though. I'm not really supposed to be teaching you how to play so much, just reading and writing and some composing."

They return to the table where the array of sheets still lay. Blaine explains the strange language with the dots and the lines, how you 'read' it via a musical instrument such as the piano. They go through the different notes and scales and by the end of the lesson Kurt is able to write small, basic melodies. The lesson ends far too quickly and Kurt wishes for nothing more than to stay in this room with Blaine all day, learning about music.

"You did amazing today," Blaine praises as they walk towards the door. "I look forward to teaching you again tomorrow…P-Prototype One." Kurt studies him for a moment, seeing how difficult it is for Blaine to call him by his 'official' name.

"Kurt," he says.

"Excuse me?"

"My name. You can call me Kurt if you want to." Before Blaine can reply, the door is sliding open and Sebastian is waiting, accompanied by a blank-faced Lab Coat. He sees Sebastian's confusion as he enters the strangely decorated room, realising that he's about to receive exactly the same lesson that he just had. His heart sinks but before he knows it, the door is sliding shut behind him and the Lab Coat is directing him to his next lesson. It's then that he realises it; he doesn't want to share Blaine.

Kurt doesn't concentrate in his other lessons; he can't focus on verbs when he knows Sebastian is with Blaine. Is Blaine playing him the same piece of music they played together earlier? The thought sends a jolt through his chest, he doesn't want Sebastian to have anything to do with the moment they shared; he doesn't want Sebastian to have anything to do with Blaine full stop.

But there's nothing he can do. All four prototypes have the same Lab Coat for each subject to make sure they all receive the same level of education. The only way for Blaine to not teach Sebastian would be if he were to not teach any of them.

Never seeing Blaine again, never hearing him play the piano again is a slightly more painful thought than having to share him.

Eventually his Languages lesson comes to a finish, though the Lab Coat is not happy with his lack of attention. He is taken to the recreational room, where he is to share a 30 minute long break with Sebastian.

Kurt sits at the chess table tentatively, the silence of the room seeming so much more noticeable now. Sebastian soon enters, looking vaguely amused as he joins Kurt at the table, wordlessly setting up the pieces.

"How were your lessons?" Kurt asks to break the silence that is suddenly deafening. Sebastian glances up at him, confusion painted across his features.

"The same as yours," he answers, sneering slightly as his moves his first pawn. "Music is pointless and that new teacher is an idiot." Kurt's mouth drops open as he wonders how anyone could possibly think that, though he can't help but let the feeling of relief sink in. "Don't tell me you enjoyed it?" Sebastian asks upon seeing Kurt's reaction. "They're just trying to make us _think_ we're being given some creative freedom but we're not. And if they think by having that idiot of a Lab Coat call us by our names is going to make us like him, they're wrong."

So Blaine calls Sebastian by his name too? At the very least he_ asked_ for his name. Kurt can't help but let his heart sink a little at that though he doesn't believe a word of what Sebastian thinks. He's not sure that the Lab Coats even know that they still remember their names after they discontinued the use of them years ago.

"But-"

"Kurt, I know what they're doing. _Don't_ let him make you think that you're equals," Sebastian interrupts before he even has a chance to argue. Kurt's about to say something in response until he looks down at the game that he hadn't been paying attention to, "Checkmate," Sebastian says coolly.


	3. Chapter 3

Blaine sighs contentedly as he packs away the last of his sheet music; a relatively successful first day. He was thrilled when his father had gotten him a summer job at the Laboratory. He'd never been interested much in science, but when his father mentioned that they were looking for a music teacher, he had jumped at the opportunity.

He wasn't entirely sure what he expected upon seeing the Mods for the first time. He remembers when he was growing up thinking of them as robots with the way his dad always talked about them after a long day at work. Like they were machines that needed tweaking except 18 years after their creation they are still being tweaked to perfection.

But as he grew older, he started questioning things; he learned that the Mods were actually people and once or twice confronted his father about it, asking if it was moral to keep them contained but he would always just shrug him off, tell him not to mess with adult matters.

The thing is, seeing them in the flesh, talking to them and learning about them really drove home the fact that they are real, living, breathing people. Experiments created by the incredible facilities at Dalton Research Lab, sure, but still Human Beings.

When Prototype One, _Kurt_ broke down in tears after hearing a piece of music for the first time in his life, Blaine's heart broke. He never would have anticipated that kind of reaction, he'd always assumed they lived relatively happy lives in the lab but now he was starting to doubt that. But what could he do? This was just the way it was.

Prototype Four had reacted similarly to how Kurt did when Blaine played a piece for her however the other two remained guarded and weary. None of the others would tell him their name either, only Kurt had given up that information.

As Blaine hauls his backpack onto his shoulder, the door slides open.

"You were late this morning," a stern and familiar voice scolds him.

"Sorry Dad, there was a problem with my car and-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, it reflects badly on me and on my whole department." Blaine nods in understanding. "And because you were late, you missed the training. What would you have done if one of the prototypes had acted up?" Professor Anderson asks.

"But they were fine, really great students actually-"

"What would you have done Blaine?" his dad demands and Blaine knows he's expecting an answer.

"Um…if I couldn't handle it myself I guess I would have called in someone to back me up?" His questioning reply earns him a scoff from his father.

"Blaine," he says condescendingly, "these aren't civilised people like you and me; they might not always do what you say despite how_ nicely_ you ask them. They're just animals. You wouldn't go into a lion enclosure without any way to protect yourself, would you?" Blaine shakes his head, frowning as he wonders what sort of training he's going to need. "I've rescheduled your 'Instruction on Handling Defective Mods' training and you're expected in 6C in 5 minutes. Don't be late." Blaine nods hastily before exiting in a hurry, trying to remember which direction 6C is in.

He follows the numbers on the doors of various rooms he's not sure of the purpose for until he finds it. Inside is a scientist standing by a complex looking control panel awaiting his arrival.

"Blaine Anderson?" he asks and Blaine nods. "I'm Professor Hughes." He extends his hand and Blaine shakes it firmly.

"It's nice to meet you, sorry about this morning…"

"It wasn't ideal for you to be alone with them for such a length of time like that, but if we thought you were under any real danger then we wouldn't have allowed it to happen. Thankfully there has never been an attack on a member of staff here, this is merely for precaution." Blaine sighs; relieved he isn't going to get into too much trouble on his first day.

Professor Hughes takes a seat and speaks into a microphone on the control panel, requesting they send in the test subject and beckoning for Blaine to take a seat next to him. He does so nervously as he stares in bewilderment at the pane of glass that makes up the fourth wall of the room. On the other side of the glass is an empty white room adorned with a shiny metal floor, the door slides open as a figure stumbles uncertainly into the room.

Blaine's jaw hangs open the moment he recognises the pale, seamless face of Kurt. He wants to ask what he's doing there in the vacant room, staring blankly as though he can't see the others through the glass, but he's fairly sure he'll find out soon enough. Professor Hughes rummages through his pocket before producing a smooth round device with a black button attached to it and handing it to Blaine. He inspects it curiously; on the side is a small switch with different voltages labelled along the side and his heart sinks the moment he realises what this device is for.

"This is your portable Electrounit. It is connected wirelessly to several chips located inside each of the Mods' bodies, just point it at any of them and it will work. Do not lose it." The scientist instructs before taking back the device and turning to face where Kurt stands, oblivious to their presence, behind the glass. Blaine watches in horror as Professor Hughes adjusts the setting and presses the button without even the slightest hesitation.

Kurt flinches slightly, keeping his eyes trained on the floor but otherwise there's no reaction.

"That's the lowest voltage, it doesn't hurt, just makes them aware of our presence and control. If a Prototype starts lacking in concentration during your lesson just give them a quick shock at this setting." Blaine's eyes are wide with shock,_ Kurt didn't do anything; he's getting punished for nothing._

Before he can say anything, the Professor adjusts the setting again and, without warning, presses the button. Kurt lets out a small yelp this time which is projected around the room from a speaker on the control panel.

Without thinking, Blaine's hand closes over that of the scientist. He knows he'll get into trouble for this but that doesn't seem to matter; he can't just sit and watch this man heartlessly shock the sweet boy who had been so eager to learn about music.

"Please," he begs, "you don't have to show me, I understand. If they act up I'll use this." In his mind Blaine knows he would never be able to use it, ever, but at this point he would say anything to get him to stop.

"Anderson, it is integral that you complete this training in full; you need to recognise the intensity of each setting so you can use them appropriately." Professor Hughes ups the setting again and presses the button before Blaine has a chance to stop him, Kurt's pain-laced scream filling the room.

Blaine squeezes his eyes shut, wincing as Kurt's screech penetrates his own skin. He stands, retrieving his bag and placing it hastily on his shoulder as he makes for the exit; he can't take this, he can't watch another person stand helplessly while they are tortured.

"Anderson if you don't finish the training, you cannot be permitted to work with the Mods," Hughes says, his threat lingering in the air. Blaine bites the inside of his lip; it's such a good opportunity, his dad had arranged for him to do this as work experience and his college professors had been thrilled at the idea. It was all he had ever wanted; to teach music. _Not like this._

"I…" Blaine stammers. He wants to leave but that means giving up everything. He sees Kurt, crippled from the shock and trembling as he awaits the next one. He looks so broken and defeated and Blaine wants nothing more than to leave just to relieve him of this torture.

He notes that there are tears in Kurt's eyes but they are a stark contrast to the ones he had seen that morning. He tries to recapture the image, sitting next to him at the piano as he begged him to keep playing. The soft, ghost of a smile he had seen drift across his face as he taught him as much as he could about music. He had seemed so happy and open to everything then; the broken boy before him who was finding just standing to be the most strenuous task, was someone else entirely.

Blaine wants to bring back the boy from earlier; he wants to revive that smile. The torture won't be over if he leaves, they'll just replace him with someone else who doesn't mind watching a defenceless boy get electrocuted for nothing. But if he stays, there's at least the chance of bringing back that smile.

Dropping his bag once again, Blaine takes his seat, sinking into it slowly before breathing a shaky sigh in hopes of calming himself.

"Okay," he breathes, "I'll pay attention."

"Good," Professor Hughes acknowledges patiently before launching back into things. "Those are the three setting the Electrounit is capable of," he says. "For a cranial inspection, we need to attach wires to the Prototypes in order to get a direct current." He starts pressing buttons on the control panel and suddenly there are wires crawling seemingly by their own means towards Kurt's body. Blaine freezes; it's like something out of a horror movie. They climb his body and from the whimper that he emits as they cling to his head, Blaine knows they've done this before, used him for training new staff members.

"This isn't for punishment; it would take too long to get the wires attached anyway. If, however you find that a prototype isn't performing at the best of their ability, this will clear any brain activity that might be hindering their concentration and will get them back on track during the lesson much more effectively than a quick shock." Blaine nods slowly, confused as to how it's supposed to work, before Professor Hughes explains how to perform the technique. Blaine attempts to follow as Professor Hughes presses an array of controls on the panel before gesturing to a small green button. "Now all you do is activate it." It takes Blaine a moment until he realises that Hughes intends for him to press it. He eyes the button nervously, he really doesn't want to but he knows everything he does with Professor Hughes will get back to his dad and he'd already caused enough trouble as it was. He hesitantly presses his thumb to it, causing a faint buzz to echo around the room.

He looks through the glass to Kurt, where his face is contorted in pain and Blaine's heart drops. There's no scream this time but he can see the tear tracks running down his face as he whimpers quietly.

"Make it stop," Blaine begs almost immediately.

"Don't worry. It's nothing damaging, all they feel is a slight discomfort as the waves travel through their brains," Hughes ensures, though Blaine is certain it has to be more than just a 'slight discomfort'. He watches in distress, knowing that he caused this, that he administered this pain and that there's nothing he can do to stop it. Pressing his hands to his temple, Blaine grits his teeth and waits it out. _It can't be much longer_.

Thankfully the buzzing soon stops and Blaine chances a look at Kurt once more, only to see him standing dazedly, still trembling slightly. Since there is nothing specific for him to be concentrating on,_ all_ trains of thought were dismantled, leaving him confused, alone and in pain in the freezing room.

"Okay, we're done with the Prototype, could you take One back now please?" Blaine hears Hughes say into the microphone on the panel. The wires detach themselves and the doors open as Kurt hastily makes his exit, allowing Blaine to sigh in relief. At least he won't be subjected to more unnecessary torture for the day. "There should be a smaller, portable control unit in your room which you can administer this treatment with," Hughes explains. When Blaine doesn't reply, his eyes narrow curiously, "This is really affecting you isn't it?" Blaine nods.

"I'll be fine though. This is just if they're bad, right?" he reasons.

"They're not people." Blaine begins to argue until Hughes cuts him off. "I know they look like people and sometimes they might act like people but you just have to remember that they're not. They're experiments and everything about them is artificial and manmade."

"Yeah, okay, I get it." Blaine mumbles, wishing that this training could be finished. His wish is not granted, as Hughes opens a drawer to pull out four syringes. He passes them to Blaine who turns them over in his hands, a sinking feeling spreading throughout his gut as he takes a morbid guess at what they are for.

"Be careful with those. It's standard that we issue them to all staff members who work directly with the Mods. Only use them if you feel like your own safety is threatened," Hughes explains. Blaine turns the syringes carefully in his hand feeling as though he were holding something as destructive as a grenade. He has to keep reminding himself that they are only dangerous should he choose to use them and he knows he never will. "Half a dose will put them to sleep for maybe a few days," Hughes continues to explain. "A full dose means death. Remember, millions of dollars' worth of research has gone into the creation of these Prototypes. Be _careful_."

Blaine gulps, placing the syringes in the four identical pockets on the inside of his issued lab coat. All he wants to do is teach but now he can't help but feel like a trained assassin.

"That's everything for today then. Use your equipment wisely and don't let the Mods get out of control." Blaine thanks Professor Hughes for his time, apologising once more for being late before snatching up his bag and leaving.

_What a first day._

* * *

The next morning Blaine thankfully manages to arrive on time. Despite his promptness, he can't help but feel weighed down with anxiousness, both his mind and body heavy with the syringes resting inside his lab coat, as they along with the Electrounit serve as a constant reminder that he is expected to show dominance; they want him to punish the Prototypes if they do even the slightest thing wrong and he's not so sure if he can do that.

He makes it to his assigned classroom - if you could call it that - setting up everything before his first student arrives. He can't help the wave of guilt that washes through him when Kurt appears at the door looking tired and uneasy for reasons Blaine knows he is partially responsible for.

"Morning Kurt," Blaine greets, attempting to keep the tremble out of his voice. Kurt raises his head but doesn't let his eyes meet Blaine's.

"Good morning," he mumbles in reply, taking the seat facing Blaine. Before he can change his mind, Blaine reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Electrounit. Kurt's eyes widen at the sight, a pleading look on his face that tells Blaine he knows exactly what the device is for.

"I'm not going to use it," he assures immediately, though Kurt is clearly not convinced. Blaine knows that if anyone were to find out about this he would be in big trouble, but at the moment, he's willing to do anything to put Kurt at ease. The terrified look still registering in Kurt's eyes, Blaine places the Electrounit device in Kurt's hand. He wonders if maybe he's being a little too reckless; what if they do attack him? What if they _are_ dangerous and Blaine is giving Kurt the only weapon he has against them? Well, aside from the syringes, but he doesn't want to think about them.

It's an impossible thought. Kurt is just a boy, probably the same age as him and doesn't look at all capable of hurting anyone. He's not so sure if he can say the same for the other Prototypes; Two and Three were cold and bitter towards him and Four barely said a word. There's just something about Kurt that he can't help but trust. Maybe because he's the only one who volunteered his name, or perhaps because of the way he actually cried when Blaine played for him. He knows he shouldn't favour students but he can't help but have a soft spot for Kurt.

Kurt jolts him out of his thoughts as he placing the Electrounit back on the table between the two of them, vaguely resembling a small time bomb.

"You won't use it?" Kurt says, barely above a whisper. Blaine shakes his head; no. Suddenly, Kurt smiles and it's as if his entire being transforms, it's then that Blaine knows he has earned his trust.

"Let's get back to the music then shall we?" Kurt nods enthusiastically, the Electrounit left entirely forgotten on the table as Blaine begins to explain the history of music, the different periods and how to distinguish when a piece was written from sound alone. He plays pieces for Kurt on the piano and Kurt is able to name the different techniques he uses. Blaine is astounded at how quickly he is advancing considering he didn't even know what a note was the day before.

Kurt revels in his praise; it's as though no one has ever given him so much as a 'good job!' before and Blaine begins to wonder if that's not far from the truth.

The only trouble Kurt seems to have however is with interpretation.

"This piece could be interpreted to express the joy that comes from seeing the first flowers bloom in the spring," Blaine tries to explain but is met with only a blank expression. "Th-the trills and flourishes sound almost like birds singing which is usually associated with the spring and-"

"Birds?" Kurt asks curiously.

"Yeah!" Blaine confirms excitedly, hoping that Kurt might understand.

"I've read about them, but I don't really know what they are." Blaine's heart sinks as a thought occurs to him. He's not sure if he should really ask but he feels like he needs to know,

"Have you…ever been outside?" he inquires, afraid of the answer though when Kurt shakes his head it is suddenly clear why he doesn't understand the interpretation of Vivaldi. "Maybe we should leave the listening for today and go back to theory, okay?" Kurt shrugs and Blaine feels a great loss. His job is to teach them the technical side of music only but how is he supposed to do that without the practical?

As he begins to explain the idea behind time signatures, it's not long before Blaine realises that Kurt isn't paying attention, and he curses himself for suddenly being aware of the control panel tucked away beneath the desk.

"Kurt?" He questions.

"Sorry," he says in panic stiffening as he expects Blaine to punish him.

"It's okay, we've covered so much already today, we can slack off for a few minutes," he justifies, "what's on your mind?"

"Birds," Kurt answers almost sorrowfully.

"What about the birds?"

"What do they look like?" Kurt wonders aloud. Blaine falters for a moment as he thinks how he could answer.

"Well, there are all different kinds; mostly they're quite small, covered in feathers and with beaks…" Kurt nods slowly but Blaine knows he still doesn't understand. "I'll tell you what," he reasons, "if you can focus for the rest of the lesson, then I _promise_ I'll show you what a bird looks like tomorrow." Kurt's eyes widen at the idea as he nods frantically.

Eventually Kurt has to go and Prototype Two shows up for his lesson. Blaine hides the Electrounit back in his pocket, deciding it best not to mention it around him; he's not so sure he would react much like Kurt did.

Teaching Two proves to be a lot more of a challenge than Kurt. Kurt has a willingness to learn and marvels at the seemingly endless amount of sounds that can be made whereas Two is still struggling to understand the purpose of music at all.

Three is the same, but unlike Two, she does try. Blaine can tell she wants so badly to be better yet she gets so frustrated when she doesn't understand.

Four on the other hand understands perfectly, Blaine only has to explain something once and she understands immediately, almost like a computer storing information yet Blaine scolds himself at the comparison.

Blaine manages to finish his second day at work, thankfully, without getting into any trouble with his father. He packs up the last of his things but before heading home, he makes a detour to the local book store.


	4. Chapter 4

Sebastian's eyes narrow as he spots Kurt, sitting with a book in his lap and a grin across his face.

"What's up with you?" he asks suspiciously, though Kurt's face falls the moment he sees Sebastian.

"Nothing," he mumbles, eyes refocusing on the page.

"Don't give me that, you're all jumpy and nervous from a random electro therapy yesterday and now you're _fine_?" Sebastian accuses and Kurt can do nothing but shrug pathetically in response. "It's that new Lab Coat isn't it?" Kurt blanches as Sebastian hits the nail on the head.

"W-what would make you even think that?" he sputters as the book falls off his lap, losing his page and the paragraph about birds he had been rereading over and over.

"Because I_ know_ you. Need I remind you of the last a Lab Coat who treated us like anything more than the dirt beneath their shoes?" Sebastian mentions, noting the way Kurt averts his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt mutters despite the memory of Professor Hudson's dopey brown eyes, which has suddenly been pushed to the front of his mind. Sebastian scoffs.

"Please, spare yourself the embarrassment. You're so desperate for affection, it's sickening. These people don't care about us and the ones that do, even just a little bit, get kicked out pretty swiftly.

"So even if you _think_ the new guy might feel sorry for you, whoever is in charge will find out soon enough and you'll have time to say your goodbyes when he's gone." Kurt bites his lip, hating Sebastian more than he thought possible.

"You should stop reading that nonsense," Sebastian continues, snatching up the book lying beside Kurt, flicking through the pages with a look of disgust. "It's not real. _This_," he gestures around the room, "is real. _This_ is our life. Indulging in these kinds of fantasies is just going to build you up for disappointment." Kurt shoots him a scowl as he grabs for his book, but Sebastian's height proves to be an advantage. "Don't give me that look; I'm trying to look out for you."

"Well don't, it's not helping," Kurt bites back.

"Just don't let him think that he's any better than the rest of them. He still works _here,_ doesn't he?" Sebastian tosses the book back to Kurt, who catches it with a huff before stalking off to the other end of the room. It's about as far away from each other that they can possibly get for the next hour.

* * *

Despite what Sebastian had said, Kurt is still eager for his music lesson when he wakes up the next day. He'd been thinking about it all night, so much so that for some reason he had been unable to sleep until the Lab Coats must have slipped him something.

If it wasn't for the deadpan Lab Coat leading the way, Kurt's sure he'd be running for his first lesson but instead he walks by the Lab Coat's side, mentally willing him to walk faster, but no such luck.

Even the sliding door seems sluggish as Kurt finally enters the music room, leaving the Lab Coat at the entrance to join Blaine at the desk eagerly.

"Good morning!" Kurt greets him excitedly, Blaine's head jolts up at Kurt's announcement, and his face subsequently falling once he notices his exuberant demeanour.

"Morning, Kurt," he says sounding almost as though he's in pain.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asks curiously, worry settling in. People only sounded like that when they were hurt.

"I…I'm so sorry Kurt, I know I promised but…"

_Oh._ Kurt realises what he's about to say before he says another word.

"I tried, I bought you a book, it had everything in there about nature and wildlife and a whole chapter on birds alone but they wouldn't let me bring it in. They said I wasn't permitted to teach you these things." Kurt nods solemnly though he can't help but be disappointed. Sebastian had said that this would happen and Kurt hates him for being right. "I'm so sorry," Blaine apologises again.

"It's okay, I already have plenty of books anyway," he mumbles.

"Shall we…uh…shall we get back to music then?" Kurt nods slowly, a heavy feeling settling deep in his chest. It's a familiar sensation; one he usually feels when everything seems pointless.

_This is my life,_ he keeps reminding himself, trying to forget the fictitious world that exists only in his books.

He focuses his attention on the music, though it doesn't seem quite as uplifting today. Instead, the slow deep melodies Blaine plays only seem to accentuate his disappointment and he can't seem to figure out why.

"Do you want to have a try?" Blaine asks, suddenly breaking Kurt out of his concentration as they sit together at the piano.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be teaching me how to play," Kurt murmurs in reply and Blaine chuckles softly, the sound eradicating just a tiny bit of the heavy feeling inside of him.

"What _they_ don't know won't hurt them, and besides, it can hardly be called 'teaching' if you're a natural at it." Before he can stop himself, Kurt is smiling at Blaine's compliment. "You wanna run through some scales real quick?"

Without replying, Kurt places his hand on the piano keys, playing through the C minor pentatonic perfectly. Blaine's mouth hangs open as he presses the last key, clearly in awe.

"How did you…? You haven't even touched a piano since the first time you…" Kurt smiles bashfully, grossly unused to such praise.

"I just remembered what we learned from the sheet music," he says with a shrug, not mentioning that he had memorised the position of the keys and tapped through everything he had learned when nobody was looking; against tables, books, even his own leg.

"If you were able to practise regularly, Kurt, you would be an _amazing_ musician. You'd be better than me in a matter of months." Kurt shakes his head; nothing could ever sound as beautiful as Blaine playing for him, especially not himself. "I'm not just saying that, I'm serious." Kurt turns to find Blaine staring at him intently. Normally people looking directly at him would cause him to tremble with nerves and self-consciousness however Blaine's gaze sends his heart into a gleeful spasm, especially the searching way his eyes seem to scan his face. He notices how Blaine's lips quiver, as though he is about to say something but can't find the right words, which is strange, Kurt thinks, because Blaine always seems to have something to say.

Blaine turns back to face the piano, thumbing a few keys absently "Let's get back to work shall we?"

Music is easily Kurt's favourite part of the day. By the time inspection day comes again, he can't help but miss Blaine and the music on his day off from lessons. The Lab seems so much quieter without it. Kurt had always loved the solitary silence however now it only serves as a reminder of how lonely he is; how much he wishes he could be sitting in the music room every minute that he isn't there.

The inspection room is as quiet as ever. He enters, shivering from the perpetually cold air against his bare skin as he waits to be connected. He tries to fill the hollow silence by reciting a piece Blaine had played for him the day before in his head. He hears the keys of the piano in his mind and if he were permitted to close his eyes, he's sure he'd be able to see Blaine's dexterous fingers fly through the complex melodies.

The song in his head comes to an end so he plays another, allowing the tune to fill him up completely, thinking of Blaine and his expert control over the sounds he imagines.

"Thank you Prototype One, please exit via the door on your right," Kurt hears the voice suddenly as the wires begin to retreat. He blinks back into focus, he's done?

He moves uncertainly towards the exit as he tries to recall his inspection but only Chopin seems to come to mind. For the first time, Kurt is certain he feels what must be a sense of optimism; he has finally found something powerful enough to distract him from the lab and from his _life_.

He continues listening to the music in his head for the rest of his inspection, ignoring everything the Lab Coats say is wrong with him. For the written examination, however, all of the pent up music in his head is finally freed as he pours every single piece of his newfound knowledge over the pages provided. Almost the entire test paper is made up of music related questions and Kurt is certain he answers all of them correctly, secretly hoping that Blaine will be proud of him.

Before Kurt knows it, inspection day is over for another week and for once, he doesn't feel like the most inadequate being on earth. He is taken back to the recreational room, ready to relish in the short amount time he'll have to concentrate on his book, yet he is surprised to find Grace already there. Kurt blinks; never has anyone ever been there to meet him when he returned from his inspection.

"Grace?" she looks up from where she had been doodling on a piece of paper before mumbling back a greeting. "What are you doing here?" he asks.

"They told me they've ceased my inspection, they only wanted me to do the written examination today," she explains quietly. Kurt had been so engrossed in the music in his mind that he hadn't even noticed that Grace wasn't in the waiting room after he finished his visual examination.

This can only mean one thing, after last week's results, Grace only has to get a full score on the written examination before she is deemed 'perfect' by the Lab Coats.

"I'm scared," she says feebly. Kurt crosses the short distance and takes a seat next to her, not bothering to change out of the provided robe. He doesn't know why but he doesn't want Grace to be sad.

"How do you think you did on the written exam?" Kurt questions, he wants to comfort the girl but doesn't exactly know how.

"I don't know," she replies, shaking her head as tears begin to form. Kurt puts an arm around Grace's shoulder, stroking her arm gently. He's never done anything like this before, but when the people in his books cry, this seems to help somehow. She leans into him, soaking his robe as she cries and Kurt whispers things like "it's okay," and "don't worry," even though he knows they're lies. According to his books, these sorts of lies make people feel better.

They sit together like that until Sebastian arrives, a look of fury crossing his face the moment he notices Kurt is with Grace, though it's quickly replaced with confusion. He marches over to the two, ripping Kurt away from Grace protectively and mimicking the comforting gesture he had seen.

Kurt allows Sebastian to take control, he'd probably be of more comfort to Grace anyway and he supposes he's glad that they have each other. He changes quickly before settling into his book as they wait for Jay.

Time passes and Jay doesn't return. It isn't until the screen on the wall flashes to life that Kurt notices that where there should be one pile of clothes left for Jay, there is only an empty table. He looks to Sebastian and Grace, who seem to have noticed the same thing, though neither of them says a word about it. Kurt turns in his seat to watch the screen and make note of their upcoming schedules. Kurt and Sebastian's numbers flash across the screen with their alteration schedules, there is a slight pause before a number four appears, followed by nothing, much the same as last week. Nobody comments on the missing number.

When the test scores are shown, it's impossible not to notice the gaping hole between Two and Four, the space filled only by a void of blackness. Kurt almost misses the actual scores from staring at it though quickly manages to make note of his 95% and a 99% that can only be Grace's before the numbers fade into black. There is a sigh of relief from the trio; Grace isn't perfect yet.

None of them mention Jay, though Kurt can't bring himself to miss her; he never did like Jay much anyway.

* * *

By Monday, there is still no sign of Jay, but Kurt can't focus on that, not even if he wanted to; it's been a whole two days since he's seen Blaine and heard his music and he is itching with anticipation for his first class of the day.

The first thing he notices is that Blaine looks equally as excited as he does; the second is the strange object with a rounded top, covered up with a cloth of some sort. Kurt takes his usual seat, slightly nervous as to what Blaine has planned.

"I know you were disappointed about not getting to see what a bird looks like," Blaine says without even a 'good morning'. "But I think this could be even better, actually, I'm sure of it." Blaine's smile only grows as Kurt takes a hasty guess at what could be under the cloth. His eyes widen; if it really is a bird under that cloth then they're a lot bigger than he had imagined…

"I pulled some strings," Blaine continues, "the guys in charge wouldn't let me bring the book in because it had too much in it about the science of birds _but_ I said that having this little guy would really help you understand music faster and all of a sudden, they were all for it!" Kurt's eyes trail to the clothed…_thing_ as he tries to keep up with what Blaine is saying.

"Kurt, I'd like you to meet Pavarotti!" Blaine exclaims, pulling the cloth to reveal a shiny gold cage. Kurt blinks in confusion before he realises what's _inside _the cage; a tiny yellow creature sitting atop its perch that starts to sing the moment Blaine uncovers it.

Kurt sits there, utterly stunned as he takes in the being. It's small, like he imagined, covered in a soft texture that must be what feathers are. Its movements are jerky and staccato and Kurt marvels at its miniature beady black eyes, smiling when it looks directly at him.

"A bird," Kurt says in awe, unable to tear his eyes away from the creature. Blaine nods in response.

"This particular type of bird is called a Canary, he's a songbird," Pavarotti chirps a short tune as if to confirm what Blaine says. "I got him for you. Obviously I'm not allowed to actually_ give_ him to you so we can keep him here and you can feed him every morning and he can sing along with us on the piano!" Kurt nods enthusiastically, finally tearing his eyes away from the bird to look at Blaine.

"Thank you," he says earnestly, "thank you so much."

"My pleasure," Blaine says. Then he does something that completely baffles Kurt; he makes a sound almost identical to the bird's voice, a high-pitched lyrical tune that the bird then imitates.

Kurt studies the way Blaine purses his lips as he makes the sound before copying it to produce a similar tune directed at Pavarotti. Blaine pauses, stunned when he hears Kurt whistle though Kurt only smiles in response before fawning over Pavarotti.

"He's quite old," Blaine says while Kurt whistles at the bird. "I got him off a friend so he's really friendly around people." Blaine opens the cage door and lets Pavarotti hop onto his finger before handing him to Kurt. Kurt eyes the bird nervously. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite, he doesn't even have teeth," Blaine assures as Kurt offers his hand for the bird. His tiny talons are sharp and dig into his skin but it feels strangely nice. Kurt allows the bird to just rest on his finger as he tries to let it sink in that this is a living creature and he is holding it.

He brings another hand up to gently stroke its downy feathers and his breathing stops when he feels the rapid yet fragile pounding of its tiny heart against his finger. He whistles again and the bird chirps back happily, causing Kurt to smile.

He doesn't notice when a message from the head office appears on Blaine's communication device on the table, or how Blaine scans through the message mournfully as he understands its meaning. Blaine is quiet for a few minutes, watching Kurt carefully as he whistles with Pavarotti.

"K-Kurt," he says eventually, his morbid tone engaging Kurt's attention immediately. Blaine takes Pavarotti and carefully places him back in the cage. He worries his bottom lip for a moment, and Kurt notices how he refuses to meet his eye. He panics momentarily, wondering if maybe he did something wrong when Blaine eventually speaks again. "I've been asked to inform you that…Prototype Three has been…" he swallows, looking as though it causes him physical pain just to speak "Sh-she's gone."

"I know," Kurt says immediately, "She's been gone since yesterday, we-"

"No, Kurt," Blaine interrupts him ringing his hands together nervously, "I mean she wasn't making the progress that she was expected to, they… 'discontinued further research'…it means she's dead," Blaine explains in a soft tone. He looks furious and sympathetic at the same time and Kurt can't seem to figure out why.

"I know," Kurt replies again. "We assumed that's what happened when she didn't come back to the recreation room yesterday." Blaine freezes, looking at Kurt with a mix of disbelief and slight horror.

"Aren't you upset?" Blaine asks, desperately searching Kurt's face but what for, Kurt isn't so sure. He shakes his head slowly.

"Why should I be?" They hadn't hurt him, so why should he be upset? Kurt can't understand why Blaine looks so distressed and it starts to unnerve him.

"We should get back to the lesson," Blaine says suddenly changing the subject and Kurt happily obliges.

Kurt can't help but notice the weary looks Blaine gives him from time to time. It's almost as though he sees him completely differently now, and Kurt is baffled as to what he did wrong. They go through key signatures and Kurt does fantastically; he doesn't answer a single question wrong, but Blaine only offers a blank smile at his success.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispers by the time the lesson ends, causing Blaine to do a double take. "I don't know what I did but I'm sorry."

Kurt has never apologised before, at least not genuinely. He will apologise to the Lab Coats when he misbehaves and they threaten to shock him, he sometimes apologises to the other Prototypes when they have alterations done, only because it seemed like something you had to say. He says sorry to Blaine now because for the first time, he truly is.

"I'm sorry," he says again. Blaine only looks at him in confusion, his face falling at the look of distraught in Kurt's eyes.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow Kurt," he says as the door slides open, taking his cue to leave.

Kurt tries to focus on the rest of his lessons but, as usual, he can't help but think about Blaine. He receives a mild shock from two of his other teachers and a much more painful one when his Math teacher hears him humming under his breath in an attempt to forget this awful day through music.

At the end of the day, he settles himself on the sofa in the rec room, not even bothering with his book tonight, choosing instead to just rest his head against the arm and get lost in his thoughts. It seems different without Jay; not bad, not good, just different.

Again, no one comments on her disappearance-her _death- _but is there any need to? She's gone and that's that.**  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine can't stop thinking about Kurt and the complete lack of emotion he had displayed; he just seemed to _accept _the fact that his peer was dead. He'd grown up with her, spent every day of his life with her, how could he be so desensitized?

Blaine sat at his desk in his old bedroom (he was staying with his parents for the summer while he did his work experience at the lab) going through his lesson plan for the next day. He felt a lump in his throat when he pulled out Prototype Three's folder; Kurt might not be affected by her death but Blaine was - because they had _killed_ her.

He didn't care how many times he was told the contrary, they were human beings and that girl had lost her life simply because the scientists couldn't make her into what they wanted. It was tragic and cruel and inhumane but worst of all, there was nothing Blaine could do about it. That's how the lab works. The Prototypes aren't considered people, and so killing them is perfectly legal. If he tried to speak up about it, Blaine would surely lose his job, disgrace his father, andhe would never get to see Kurt again. Blaine can't help it, there's just something about Kurt that gets him out of bed in the morning, forgetting the injustices of the Laboratory just so he can see him.

When they'd first met, he couldn't believe that someone could spend their whole life without music; Kurt was like a blank canvas waiting to be filled with brand new colours and patterns while Blaine was the artist painting new beauties upon him, showing him that the world _can_ be a good place.

But today he had seen a new side to Kurt entirely. He knows it's not his fault, he's lived completely isolated from society his entire life; how could he know about things like death? How could he understand grief? And it's not just Kurt; the other Prototypes hadn't acted as though anything was wrong when they came for their lessons either. Despite what everyone says - _they're not human_ - Blaine still refuses to accept it. Truth be told (and he hates himself for thinking it), but he thinks he might understand where they're coming from.

"Blaine! Dinner is ready!" his mother says from the other side of his closed bedroom door, interrupting his train of thought. Blaine tucks Prototype Three's folder into a drawer in his desk, not having the heart to recycle it, after all this is the only evidence left of her life. He feels angry that no one but him will grieve her death.

The table is set formally with three placemats neatly set out. Blaine remembers the seemingly endless amounts of family dinners, before Cooper, his brother, moved to LA and before he himself had moved to New York. Being home for the summer feels alien; surreal. He can't help but feel like a stranger in his old home now but his parents _are_ trying. He had missed these dinners while away at college, somehow takeout pizza and ready-meals don't quite match up to his mother's homemade cooking.

However he hadn't missed the almost-too-quiet-to-bear atmosphere that was inevitable at dinner with the Andersons. It never used to be like this, before Cooper moved, before he'd blurted out one evening at the dinner table that he preferred boys to girls, things were fine. But that was once upon a time, he'd now grown used to the prim and proper affair that dinner had become. He wasn't a kid anymore, his parents expected him to act like a respectable member of society, even in the comfort of his own home.

"How are you finding things at the Lab, dear?" his mother asked out of curiosity. Blaine shrugs in reply, unsure what she's expecting him to say; she already knows exactly how things are going.

"_Blaine_," his father scolds, "Answer your mother."

"They're fine, good," he relents, as he piles vegetables onto his plate.

"How are your students? Are they learning fast?" She continues to probe.

"Yeah, actually, they're doing really well," he admits, trying to keep the sorrow out of his tone, he can't help but think of Prototype Three. "They're smart."

"Of course they are, they were designed to be," Blaine's father inputs. Blaine grinds his teeth to prevent himself from making a biting remark. He has to take the credit for every redeeming thing about them; they're not allowed to just be good at something. Blaine doesn't see how talent can be genetic anyway but that's his father. He's proud of his work and he doesn't care how he succeeds as long as he does so.

"Prototype Four is developing nicely. Not only is she the smartest out of all of them but she has turned out phenomenally beautiful," his father continues. "Wouldn't you agree Blaine?"

"Y-yeah," he concedes because really it's impossible to deny.

"Maybe if this technology was available 18 years ago, you wouldn't be as…_confused_ as you are." Blaine swallows thickly and nods in response. There's no use arguing; he's told his father time and time again that he isn't 'confused' or 'going through a phase', but nothing seems to get through. Blaine has just stopped trying to get his father to accept who he is.

A silence befalls the dinner table filled only by the slight scraping of cutlery against plates. _This_ is what Blaine's used to, awkward silences and avoidances of matters. It's enough to make him wish summer break was over so he could go back to New York.

"We're almost ready to start work on the second generation clone of Prototype Three," his father mentions, breaking the silence. Blaine clenches his hand around his fork, his entire body going rigid as he breathes heavily out through his nose, trying to calm himself. He should know better than anyone how cold his father could be. But how could he be so nonchalant about it, to have such disregard for human life? In that moment Blaine feels ashamed to even be related to him. The girl was murdered and his dad is casually mentioning her heartless replacement over dinner.

She was a human being, not just an experiment or a passing remark at the dinner table, and Blaine can't believe that he's the only one who seems to think this.

"We weren't making a lot of progress with the first generation, but the results for this next one are already showing a lot of promise-"

"She had a name," Blaine interrupts, daringly. "I don't know what it was because you crushed any trust she might have had, but she had a name. Just thought you ought to know," Blaine growls, dropping his fork as he abandons his dinner. He leaves before his parents can see that his hands are shaking, partly with rage but mostly with fear; he's never said anything against his parents before.

He hears his father yelling angrily after him as he sprints up the stairs. He ignores him, wanting nothing more than to sit in his room and just cry, because the world is unjust, because his father is part of the reason why.

He mourns the girl because no one else will. He wants to yell at Kurt and the other two prototypes because a girl they grew up with is dead and they didn't even bat an eyelid.

_But they must be able to feel compassion, _Blaine thinks. Kurt with Pavarotti is proof of that. The way his eyes had lit up when he had revealed the bird was unlike anything Blaine had ever seen. Kurt had looked so entranced, inspired…and beautiful.

Blaine's breathe hitches because Kurt _is_ beautiful; it's one of the main reasons for his whole existence. However it's not just that, he's beautiful inside too, Blaine can see how much he craves beauty and purity but he's never going to find it cooped up in that lab. He sees life from an entirely different point of view, his perspective on death is blurred and it seems as though the only thing he lives for is music.

He doesn't blame him for not caring. He hasn't been taught _how_ to care. He is just a shell of what a person _should_ be like and Blaine wants nothing more than to _show_ him that the world can be a good place, that beauty and purity does exist. However he doesn't see how that's possible living the life he does.

* * *

Music for Kurt is no longer just a lesson, instead it's his escape. A small segment of his day where he gets to pretend that he's normal, that he's like the people in his books. He feeds Pavarotti every morning, whistling a tune as he does so while Blaine watches fondly. Then they get down to the nitty gritty, and Kurt is able to understand all of the technical terms Blaine uses without batting an eyelid.

Blaine goes back to his usual self, whatever he was unhappy about when telling Kurt that Jay was gone seemingly vanishes. Kurt's glad he isn't sad anymore, he much prefers Blaine when he's smiling.

He does notice small changes in their dynamic however; Blaine stares at him a lot and Kurt isn't quite sure how to take it. He's used to being stared at, but usually by people standing behind a sheet of glass as they take note of all his progress and imperfections. The way Blaine looks at him when they're sitting together at the piano or when Kurt is quietly working on a composition is different. Blaine's gaze doesn't seem critical; something about his eyes suggest that he actually _enjoys_ looking at Kurt, which is something he finds baffling.

He also smiles sometimes when looking at Kurt and the more it happens, the more he feels a giddy flurry inside his stomach.

_Is this what the term butterflies in your stomach means?_

Kurt becomes accustomed to the stolen glances and shy smiles as he begins to think that that's just the way Blaine is around others. He begins to return his smile more often, the gesture feeling weird and foreign on his lips from doing it so much. He also begins to look at Blaine, actually _look_. When they'd first met, he had just seen another Lab Coat, then Blaine gained his trust and Kurt saw him as something slightly more than that. Now however, sitting so close to each other at the piano as Blaine plays a new song he learned, Kurt allows his eyes to explore. He's never looked at another person so closely before, not even himself, so he marvels at the rough surface of skin along his jaw line and the way his hair curls at the ends where he didn't put enough gel in. He swallows as his eyes drift lower to his neck. A strange feeling suddenly overcomes him and he has to tear his eyes away to allow himself to breathe for a moment.

He can't keep them away for long though, he gently allows his eyes to trail back, Blaine too lost in the song to notice. Kurt doesn't allow his gaze to travel any further down than Blaine's neck. Where his skin ends and the collar of his lab coat begins is when Blaine stops being Blaine and is just another worker in the Lab. Kurt can't stand the thought of associating Blaine with them. He _is_ one of them but he's different, he doesn't shock him for one and he asks how Kurt is every morning because he genuinely wants to know, not because he needs to write it down on his clipboard.

"So what do you think?" Blaine asks as he finishes the piece on a perfect cadence. It's then that Kurt realises that for the first time, he actually hadn't paid any attention to what Blaine was playing, instead lost in Blaine himself. He hangs his head as a blush creeps down his neck, embarrassed at his lack of focus. The last thing he wants is to let Blaine down by not paying attention. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I got a little distracted," he admits, though he doesn't bother to say what exactly was distracting him. For some reason he doesn't think Blaine would be so understanding, he knows what it's like to be stared at and examined.

"Hey, don't worry about it, we've covered a lot today, you're probably just exhausted from all the work we've been doing," Blaine reassures and Kurt nods, accepting Blaine's reasoning for his inattention. "Maybe we could take a break and I could teach you something on the piano?" Blaine suggests and Kurt lights up at the idea. They'd been fitting a considerable amount of practise during the lessons for Kurt, whenever they finished topics ahead of schedule or when Kurt couldn't seem to learn the theory without a musical accompaniment. He was improving fast despite the fact he wasn't supposed to be learning at all. "Why don't we try something different," Blaine says as he flips through his folder and pulls out some sheet music of something called _Passacaglia_. "A duet," he suggests with a smile.

_A duet is a musical composition performed by a duo of voices or instruments_ Kurt's brain supplies automatically.

"You and me?" he asks, wondering why he suddenly feels nervous.

"You and me," Blaine confirms with yet another smile.

Blaine helps Kurt learn his part, having already learned his the night before, and he is quick to learn as usual. When Blaine adds his own part, everything comes together in a flurry of sound. It completely overwhelms Kurt but he continues to play, not wanting to mess up their duet. He can't allow himself to admire the way Blaine's fingers flit about the piano as he has his own to focus on but he does let himself get lost in the sheer volume of everything. The usual emotion he feels from hearing Blaine play doubled and intensified. Their fingers dance around each other as they explore the piano together, mixing sounds and becoming one and Kurt can't remember ever feeling so in tune with another person.

They play the last of the notes; the vibrating sounds fading away as silence begins to take over. Kurt doesn't dare to breathe so as to not disturb the perfectness of the moment. He instead fixates on his fingers, trembling slightly as they hover over the keys.

"That was amazing," Blaine remarks, breaking the lingering silence. Kurt turns to see Blaine gaze already upon him before returning his contented smile and nodding in agreement. "Really, really amazing."

Kurt allows his eyes to wander Blaine's features from a frontal view; his eyes are probably the brightest thing he has ever seen, wide and symmetrical, his lips are a little chapped and slightly parted and…moving closer. Kurt's heart hammers in his chest as he finds himself instinctively leaning forward as well. He isn't entirely sure what he expects but when Blaine suddenly stops and pulls away, he can't help but let the disappointment wash over him. His heart rate begins to slow again until it returns to normal, leaving Kurt with a feeling of incompletion; like something was supposed to happen but didn't.

Kurt teaches himself how to breathe again and, without a word, Blaine rises from the stool and moves over to the desk, organising papers that don't need organising.

"You're improving fast," he comments when the silence becomes too much to bear.

"Thanks," Kurt says after another moment's silence. He can't figure out what happened, one minute everything was fine and now they're awkward and strained.

Suddenly, Pavarotti chirps happily in the corner, diverting their attention away from each other and the new tension that seems to be eating away at Kurt's already fraying nerves. Kurt smiles as he decides to join Blaine at the desk, no longer feeling nervous but instead hopeful. Hopeful for what, he isn't entirely sure but he knows that as long as he gets to share these moments with Blaine then everything will be okay. Some day he might finally get that feeling of completion.

* * *

Kurt can't focus for the rest of the day, much to the annoyance of his teachers as he earns himself punishment after punishment. The shocks resonate through his body but he can't take his mind away from his music lesson…from _Blaine._

He's still confused though. Why did Blaine lean forward like that? His eyes so full of anticipation and _need_ for something Kurt is unsure of however whatever it was, Kurt has a feeling he craves the same thing.

He thinks his heart must be broken because it aches like crazy for the rest of the day, not to mention how it continues to beat unusually fast whenever he replays the memory in his mind. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't understand what he's feeling. How are his emotions so out of control and erratic? He's never felt this way before, neither has he felt anything so intensely before.

He can't help but smile for the rest of the day however, as if it was now a permanent fixture on his face. He sees Blaine and he suddenly just wants it to be tomorrow, so he can go back to the music room. All of his other lessons seem nothing more than obsolete now, they serve no purpose and they hold no beauty. Music is his treasure and there's no way he can focus on quadratic functions when the melody in his head reaches its crescendo.

Nonetheless, he forces himself through the day, revelling in delight when he is dismissed from physical education, sweaty and aching. He showers quickly before making his way to the rec room.

"Kurt!" Sebastian calls the moment he enters the room. He's sitting at the chess table while Grace reads in the corner. Kurt eyes him wearily before taking a seat opposite the other Prototype, he doesn't much feel like playing chess but he moves his pawn anyway after Sebastian initiates the game. It takes him a moment to realise that Sebastian is talking to him; he's too caught up in his own fantasy-come-to-life to really pay much attention. He catches the odd word here and there until Sebastian jolts him out of his daydream.

"Kurt," he demands impatiently.

"W…what?"

"I said I know how they killed Scalpel Face."

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asks, wondering why Sebastian even cares in the first place. He moves his Knight without thinking, only for it to be caught by Sebastian's Pawn and Kurt frowns at his own lack of attention.

"The day they took her away she wasn't in for inspection," Sebastian begins to explain and Kurt tries to cast his mind back. He can't remember anything, all that fills his head is music and he's surprised at his lack of attention to…anything. "I thought they were doing something different with the girls that day since Grace wasn't there for inspection either but… Have you noticed how in every room they have those syringes? Four of them all lined up." Kurt nods, in every room except the music room and the rec room there are indeed four of them, standing ominously. It's difficult _not _to notice them. "They've never used them for anything. Everything else in every room has been used at least once _except _those four syringes. Well that day there were only three and I think know why.

"I asked that idiot music teacher you like so much and he confessed to having them too, they were hidden in his lab coat which I thought was suspicious enough and then he refused tell me what they were for." Kurt's eyes widen, his interest suddenly peaked, Blaine had never mentioned this to him before and he can't help but feel a stab of jealousy that he had shared something with Sebastian but not with him. "I asked him to show them to me and he only had three as well. _Everywhere_ only has three now which means that one of those syringes was meant for Jay; that there's one for each of us. It _has _to be linked to them killing her." Sebastian looks pleased and somewhat determined with his conclusion but Kurt can't figure out why he cares so much. Sebastian liked Jay the least out of all of them so why is he so invested in her death?

"O…kay," Kurt says slowly when he notices Sebastian is waiting for an answer.

"I'm gonna get out of here Kurt, Me and Grace, just you watch us. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've been slipping. You're scores have been getting lower and lower every week, what if one day they decide that maybe you're not quite good enough either, just like Scalpel Face," Sebastian taunts with a sneer and Kurt feels his heart plummet. He's right. Kurt's been so focused on music that he has neglected his other subjects, his percentage score has been at an all-time low lately and Sebastian has been successively out ranking him week in week out. Shakily turning his head down, he notices the board, Sebastian has him cornered, another checkmate. He can't remember the last time he beat him at the game he used to be so good at.

"Or," Sebastian continues, "You can help me. That music Lab Coat likes you for whatever reason, probably brain damage, you get the syringes off of him and there's our ticket out of here. For _all_ of us." Kurt shakes his head automatically. No matter what, he'd never deceive Blaine, he can't abuse his trust no matter how dire things get or how badly he wants to see what's outside. He just can't.

"No," he whispers and Sebastian's gaze hardens.

"Fine, enjoy your stay, as soon as they find out about you, you'll be gone." Kurt's brow furrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asks shakily.

"You _like_ that Lab Coat," he states as if it's obvious and in such a way that makes it impossible for Kurt to deny. His breathe hitches as he can't help but wonder if Sebastian knows about what they did, or rather _nearly _did, today. "And he's a male…like you," Sebastian's tone is suddenly soft and if Kurt didn't know better, he'd think he was sincerely being kind. But he _does_ know better and Sebastian is anything but kind, at least towards him.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I've heard the Lab Coats talking over the years, eavesdropping, listening in when they thought I was unconscious, it doesn't take a lot to trick them. They have set ways. Men pair up with women and that should be that," Sebastian explains and Kurt hangs onto every word, anything about the outside world intrigues him, no matter what the source. "But apparently sometimes people stray from these norms and they don't like that. They don't like when those people do that."

"But why?" Kurt asks, utterly confused.

"How the hell should I know?" Sebastian bites back, "They're sick, all of them, and just think of what they would do to you if they knew." Kurt's eyes widen at his implication.

"Sebastian…"

"Say they should somehow find out…? Unless of course someone gets me those syringes," Sebastian suggests with a coy grin.

"No," Kurt states resolutely. Sebastian slams his fist against the table in frustration causing Kurt to jump back and Grace to look up in horror.

"I thought you wanted to get out of here, all you ever talk about is _outside this and outside that_. I'm giving you an opportunity to escape, to help us _all_ escape, why won't you take it?" he yells as his face reddens with anger and Kurt shrinks back.

"I can't do that to Blaine. I won't deceive him," Kurt says firmly, maintaining eye contact, he won't back down against Sebastian no matter how much he tries to terrorize him.

"Fine, suit yourself," he says resolutely before rising from the table to join Grace leaving Kurt to wonder if he's making the right decision.

* * *

Blaine greets Kurt the next day as cheerfully as possible. He doesn't want to tell Kurt that he _must_ be upset over Prototype Three; he doesn't want to force Kurt to be anything. Kurt isn't going to grieve her just because he's told to, so Blaine tries his best to not think about it. Instead he allows Kurt to feed and fuss over Pavarotti as he does every day before they start the lesson. He hums a 'good morning' to the bird however he isn't greeted back by the familiar tweets like he usually would be.

"Something's wrong with Pavarotti," Kurt states a moment later. It's more of a fact than anything else. "He hasn't eaten his food from yesterday and he's not moving." Kurt whistles to the bird but it remains silent.

"He's probably just moulting," Blaine says, moving towards Kurt and the bird cage, "it's about that time of year. Don't worry, he just needs to replace his feathers so..." he trails off when he comes to stand next to Kurt and has a better look at the bird, lying on motionless on its side at the bottom of the cage. Kurt looks to Blaine for reassurance that he'll be okay but when he sees his sorrowful look his face moulds into understanding. Blaine takes the bird cage cover and puts it back over the cage. "I'm so sorry Kurt."

"Why?" he asks in genuine confusion, "You didn't kill him."

Blaine pauses, taken aback by Kurt's blunt response before sighing, knowing he doesn't fully understand death.

Kurt looks at the covered cage, the room seeming far too quiet without Pavarotti's optimistic morning song he'd grown used to.

"I don't feel good," he whispers suddenly, wavering slightly. Blaine puts a supporting arm around his shoulders and another beneath his elbow and leads him to his seat.

"Are you sick? Do you need me to get someone?" he asks with concern. Kurt shakes his head.

"I just…I feel…I don't _want_ Pavarotti to be gone, you know?" Blaine's mouth hangs open at the confession, his heart breaking at Kurt's unfathomable grief. He nods earnestly before daring to rub the boy's back comfortingly. He fully expects Kurt to flinch away but is pleasantly surprised when he leans into the gesture. They sit in companionable silence as Blaine comforts him until he notices two lonely tears slide down his cheeks, quickly followed by several more until his face is suddenly wet with sorrow.

Kurt is grieving, his feelings of love and attachment are developing and Blaine doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. It must be nice to not _feel. _He wishes it upon himself sometimes, to not hear the cruel jibes about his sexuality, to not feel completely inadequate next to nearly everyone else he knows, to not grieve. But how can someone go through their whole life without any of these feelings? You need them to grow and develop and to become your own person. _Kurt_ needs them. This is good for him, though heart-wrenchingly so.

"Why do I feel like this?" he whispers brokenly. Blaine wants to cry for him because how is he to understand?

"It's okay, it's normal," he attempts to assure as he continues to rub small circles into Kurt's back.

"Normal? I've never once felt like I was _normal_," he says with a sardonic smile.

"Of course it is, p-people get sad when the things they love…go away." Blaine tries to explain it as simply as he can but he can't help but feel like he's patronising Kurt. He sighs deeply and instead tries to think of some way to make Kurt feel better. "Do you remember on your first ever lesson? When you told me that music was like a big box filled with different emotions." Kurt nods, eyes glued on Blaine.

"Yeah."

"I told you that you were absolutely right even though you didn't really understand. Well, I think now might be a good time to show you just how right you were." Kurt's brows knit into confusion as Blaine crosses the room to retrieve an acoustic guitar placed on a stand by the piano. "Would it be okay if I played something for you?"

Kurt eyes the guitar wearily; Blaine hasn't introduced him to any other instruments besides the piano yet. Despite this he nods, the tears beginning to dry and make his skin flaky. Blaine fumbles with the guitar as Kurt watches in awe, the instrument is something entirely different to what he's used to.

"Sometimes music can be used to express how we feel, we can use it to celebrate or to…mourn." Blaine says. The last time he tried explaining this to Kurt he was met only by a blank expression but this time Kurt gives a slight nod seemingly in understanding.

Words were never Blaine's strong point so he places his fingers on the strings, plucking several of them with his right hand as he dives into the song.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these broken wings and learn to fly  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,_

Blaine dares a quick glance at Kurt as he plays, the mournful notes dancing around them. It's the first time he's played something for him that includes lyrics. He can tell Kurt is listening to every word, like being told a story except it isn't written down like in one of his books. He looks confused but also somewhat peaceful. Impossibly blue eyes, shiny with unshed tears, follow Blaine's hands navigating the new instrument.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to be free_

_Blackbird fly, blackbird fly  
Into the light of the dark black night,_

Kurt is crying again but this time Blaine doesn't see any hint of sorrow. He's smiling, wider than he's ever seen him as he sways gently to the music.

Blaine has always known that Kurt is a quick learner, he copies the things he sees and 9 times out of 10 he gets it right on his first try, so he isn't the slightest bit surprised when he hears a second voice, trembling slightly as he sings along to the repetitive verse. Blaine's finger's fumble for just a moment as he tries to comprehend that it is in fact Kurt singing as he is overcome with the angelic voice.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these broken wings and learn to fly  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise._

They sing together, harmonising in places and Blaine is certain he has never felt more complete. The piano duet was overwhelming enough but singing with Kurt is a whole new feeling entirely. Kurt stumbles only slightly over the lyrics but Blaine hardly notices, all he can focus on his the complete immersion in the beautiful, melodious sounds they make together.

The song eventually comes to an end however. Blaine plays the last of the chords and before he has a chance to even put down his guitar, Kurt's arms are flung around his neck clinging tightly. Blaine's heart skips a beat; he's barely so much as touched Kurt aside from the comforting rub on the back. He can't help but detect the scent of something clinical but he ignores it, he pretends they're not in a laboratory, that he isn't Kurt's teacher and they're just two ordinary teenage boys. He puts down the guitar and allows himself to stroke Kurt's back affectionately as he hugs back, he allows himself to just _forget_. Forget that Kurt's in so much pain constantly, forget that his life is building up for an abrupt end when the scientists decide he is no longer of use, that he was born to die.

He suddenly finds himself unable to let go of the boy nestled in his arms, so confused about the mass of _feeling_ that has overcome him. He knows there's more behind it than just the death of a bird. Pavarotti was freedom, Pavarotti was his link to the world outside of the lab, Pavarotti was hope and now that hope is dead.

He places his lips against Kurt's temple, resting them there for less than a split second. Kurt pulls back slightly arms still around Blaine neck but now he's looking into his eyes questioningly. Blaine can't help it, those eyes, though artificially coloured they are somehow able to completely ensnare him. Like an ocean, begging him to dive in.

So he does, he leans forward and presses his lips against Kurt's. They're soft and pink, salty from his tears with a hint of mint and…again something clinical that he just can't quite put his finger on. All it does is serve as a reminder that Kurt isn't his and never will be. He is the property of the Dalton Research Laboratory and will be until they no longer have any need for him, until they _kill_ him.

Kurt doesn't kiss back; he barely moves at all but at the same time he doesn't push Blaine away which he takes as a good sign. He eventually pulls back, stomach twisting with anxiety.

What has he done?

Kurt's face is mostly blank with a mild hint of intrigue. His eyes scan Blaine's for a moment before he tears them away and returns to his own seat.

"That was…nice…" he says, eyes fixated on the table and the hint of a blush climbing up his neck.

Blaine can't help but chuckle slightly as he rubs a hand across his face, trying to wipe away the blush rapidly forming.

"We should…we should get back to work," he says weakly, thankful that he's sitting down as he's sure he legs wouldn't be able to support him otherwise. He chances a look at Kurt, who looks thoughtful and slightly downcast, causing Blaine's heart to sink right into his stomach.

"You won't tell anyone will you?" he asks feebly. Blaine's eyes widen with shock, if anything, _he_ should be begging_ Kurt_ not to tell, if anyone finds out about this, he'll surely lose his job, and that will be the least of his problems once his dad finds out. He squeezes his eyes shut as he heaves a small sigh, unsure if he can bring himself to regret it.

"Of course not," Blaine promises and Kurt's shoulders sag in relief.

"I'm not supposed to like boys, but I like you and you're a boy so…" Kurt mumbles and Blaine is suddenly hit with realisation. Of course homophobia would extend to the lab and Blaine is fairly certain his father is at least partially responsible.

"You can like anyone you want to like," Blaine states firmly, because on top of everything, Kurt doesn't need _these_ sorts of insecurities as well.

"I like_ you_…" Kurt repeats with more emphasis and Blaine smiles gently.

"I like you too."

It feels childish, elementary, like a confession between two shy toddlers on the playground, but Blaine knows that some feelings don't need clever, eloquent words; sometimes simplicity works just as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Blaine's hands shake the entire drive to the Lab the next morning. He's nervous and giddy and terrified and he's not sure how exactly all of these feelings manage to coexists but they churn inside his stomach the closer he gets to work. He had _kissed_ Kurt. Why did he do that? Blaine asks himself over and over despite the fact that he knows the answer. Kurt doesn't _understand_, he can't, and even if he did, who's to say he likes boys anyway? Kurt doesn't know the significance of a kiss and Blaine knows that the best thing he can do is move on, pretend it never happened and hope Kurt does the same.

Because he just _can't_, Kurt isn't like other people, he isn't free and he doesn't even understand the concept of being in a relationship with someone.

Blaine breathes a broken sigh as it hits him; he wants a _relationship_ with Kurt. But it can't happen and he knows it, it's impossible. Kurt is an experiment, a research tool and Blaine has ruined everything by kissing him. He doesn't want to think about what his father will do if he finds out. He's accepting enough of Blaine's sexuality, insomuch as it's something they never really talk about, and Blaine is fine with that. But Blaine's father takes his work seriously; any respect from his co-workers and employees would surely be lost on the back of Blaine's screw-up.

Rule number one in the lab is to not get attached to the Prototypes, just like how farmers aren't supposed to get attached to their livestock. Blaine had been blatantly ignoring that rule since day one but _kissing_ a prototype goes well beyond merely breaking the rules. Yet, at the same time he doesn't want to end things with Kurt. Even if he did, how would Kurt react? It didn't take long for Blaine to realise that he was probably the only person in Kurt's life to actually treat him with kindness; if he were to suddenly stop, to become a robot around him like everyone else, he's not sure Kurt could handle that.

When Blaine arrives at the lab, everything seems normal. There are no looks from his colleagues which he takes to assume that his paranoia is just that; paranoia. Of course they don't know, how could they? A classroom is only monitored if the teacher in charge requests it, and Blaine made sure to ask for a more private teaching environment.

He arrives in the classroom to be greeted only by silence and Pavarotti's empty cage. He'd taken the bird home and buried him, giving heartfelt thanks for making Kurt so happy before saying his goodbye. Now the room is overwhelmingly quiet without the warbling bird. He sits at the piano, wanting nothing more than to fill the empty air, he doesn't know how he had managed to bear it before he had gotten Pavarotti. He plays. He isn't sure what exactly, he just allows his fingers to explore and plays whatever comes to him.

Suddenly there is a body beside him and Blaine finishes his improvised piece, the room not seeming so quiet anymore.

"Morning," he says somehow breathlessly and Kurt smiles in greeting.

Blaine fully expects their lesson to be awkward but they fall into the same routine, as if yesterday didn't happen. He wants to bring it up, but something tells him that perhaps its better this way. If Kurt thinks nothing of it then it will be much easier to pretend it never happened, despite how much it hurts to do so.

There are little differences; Kurt smiles considerably more and occasionally his concentration will wither as he instead gets seemingly lost looking at Blaine intently. When this happens, Blaine nudges Kurt softly before laughing at his bashful look as he tries to pretend he was concentrating the entire time.

It's hard to deny, Blaine can see that Kurt is entirely enamoured with him and the thought makes him giddy while at the same time making his heart clench with dread. It can't _last_ they can't do anything, they can't be together, and he has no idea how to explain this to Kurt. He's not sure he even wants to, instead contemplating if it would be too crazy just to kiss Kurt stupid and never look back. In fact, that idea sounds like the only reasonable thing he could possibly do at the moment as Kurt gazes at him imploringly, Blaine being the one lost in thought this time.

He leans forward gently and settles for a quick peck on the lips causing Kurt to beam uncontrollably. Still, nothing is said, perhaps Kurt _does _understand how tricky their situation is, or maybe he doesn't understand in the slightest, Blaine wonders.

He knows he shouldn't pick favourites with his students but he always feels a dent in his mood whenever Kurt leaves and Prototype Two takes his place. Two is clever, but he just doesn't seem to have any interest in the subject and spending a prolonged amount of time with someone who holds an obvious grudge against you would put a damper on anyone's good mood.

When Two enters today however, Blaine is more than surprised at the grin he sports.

"Good morning, Professor Anderson," he greets and Blaine stammers back a 'hello'. The sliding door shuts behind him and Blaine can't help but feel uneasy the moment they're alone.

"Why don't you take a seat and we'll get started?" Blaine suggests in an attempt to be firm as he gestures to the table behind him however Two only saunters closer. "Uhh," he breathes when Two's face is mere inches away from his own. Blaine steps back instinctively but the mod swiftly makes up the distance, capturing Blaine's arms to keep him still.

Blaine doesn't struggle; instead he stands bemused, wondering what the nameless prototype is thinking. He's stroking Blaine's arm and before he can even summon the words to get him to stop, another hands is slowly snaking up his chest, Blaine's breath hitches as he tries to step back- a million thoughts running through his head- but the taller boy prevents him from moving. He's trapped. His mind tells him to reach for the Electrounit in his pocket but he can't, he made a promise to himself. He can handle this.

"You need to stop," Blaine tries to demand but his voice only comes out strangled. "Prototype Two," he says, attempting to infuse authority into his tone.

"Sebastian," he murmurs back, "you can call me Sebastian." Blaine's heart stops; if he didn't know any better he'd think Two- _Sebastian- _was flirting with him. But that's impossible. How would he even know what flirting _is?_

Sebastian's hand begins to trail down Blaine's chest again, resting on his waist for a moment before sliding around to his behind, squeezing gently. Blaine jerks back at the touch as his cheeks begin to heat up but Sebastian pulls him back as their bodies flush together. Blaine struggles but Sebastian's grip is strong.

"Th…this is c…completely inappropriate," Blaine stutters; Sebastian probably doesn't understand what he's doing. He's a teenage boy despite everything, just like himself, and teenage boys have urges and hormones don't they? Blaine tries to pull away again, deciding that he needs to explain to Sebastian _why_ this is so inappropriate but he's still unable to.

"Come on Mr Anderson, I won't bite," Sebastian purrs, his words sound forced however, as though they've been rehearsed and Blaine knows that something isn't right.

The Prototype's hands continue to explore, causing Blaine to flush uncomfortably as he feels firm fingers gently caressing him from behind.

"_Sebastian!"_ he hollers, hoping the use of his name might make a difference, but insistent lips suddenly pressing against his own cuts him off. He pushes against Sebastian's chest as he tries to pull away, though his attempts are futile; Sebastian is strong. His lips work relentlessly to gain better access to Blaine's mouth as his hands start to move around his waist searchingly. Blaine tries to grab for them instead in an attempt to peel them away however they're gone a moment later, Sebastian's mouth parting from his own at the same time.

The boy grins facetiously and winks before taking his seat at the desk. Blaine remains standing, utterly stunned, his heart and mind racing as he tries to settle his breathing.

"What are you waiting for Mr Anderson?" Sebastian ponders, "Don't you have a lesson to teach?" His voice is calm as Blaine eyes him warily. He wants to get out, the room suddenly feeling incredibly cramped at the thought of spending another hour and a half in it with Prototype Two. He knows he can't though, he's expected to prevent this sort of thing using the Electrounit. He fumbles around in his pocket, gripping the device tightly in his shaky hand. Sebastian raises an eyebrow when he sees it but makes no other movement.

Blaine's heart finally manages to slow to its usual pace as he stands frozen, hand clenched on the Electrounit, Sebastian patiently waiting at the desk. Sighing, he puts it back in his pocket causing Sebastian to scoff victoriously.

He's being stupid and reckless; the Electrounit was given him to ensure his safety, but Prototype Two- _no Sebastian,_ he tells himself- is still a person, a confused, uneducated person who probably doesn't know that he did anything wrong. Blaine decides he needs to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Walking slowly back towards the desk, Blaine shuffles through his papers before beginning his lesson.

* * *

"Catch." Kurt looks up just in time to see Sebastian tossing something in his direction. He catches it easily, before turning the smooth object in his fingers. It's a syringe. Kurt's head snaps up to glare at Sebastian as he grins smugly.

"How did you..?"

"Easy. I don't know what you see in that Lab Coat, he really isn't very bright," Sebastian says with a sneer. Kurt's heart drops.

"What did you do?" he breathes. "Tell me you didn't hurt him."

"Relax, he's fine, a little shaken up maybe but the important thing is that he doesn't even know that I have it." Sebastian snatches back the syringe and marvels at it, a sense of victory clear on his face.

"_Sebastian,_" Kurt growls warningly, "what did you do?" The boy shrugs in response.

"Nothing!" he says indignantly, though Kurt clearly disbelieves him. "Okay so a few weeks ago, on inspection day, I saw two Lab Coats doing…things…things with each other. They were touching in odd places and pressing their mouths together. It made them so distracted that they didn't even realise I was there, so I tried doing the same thing with _him_ and it worked like a charm," he explains with a shrug.

Kurt blanched, pressing mouths together? He and Blaine did that...

"You…and Blaine you…?" he stutters as the jealousy pulses through him. Kurt doesn't know a lot about the things he does with Blaine but he knows for certain that he does _not_ want anyone else doing those things with him. He doesn't want to share Blaine.

"Yep," Sebastian confirms not realising how Kurt was beginning to shake with envy. "I could show you if you want?" Kurt wants to gag, just the thought of doing them things Sebastian is enough to make him queasy.

"No thank you," he says stonily as he tries to get the images of Blaine with Sebastian out of his thoughts.

It _hurts_, but how? How can something like _this_ make him hurt as well? Getting jabbed with needles hurt, he had recently discovered that losing things he loved hurt as well and now merely just the thought of sharing Blaine hurt too? If this is how it feels to be normal then Kurt isn't so sure if he likes it.

"So what are you going to do?" Kurt asks quietly. He honestly doesn't expect Sebastian to do anything, the lab is all he's known, getting out just doesn't seem like a plausible future though he is surprised that he managed to get the syringe at all.

"I'm not sure yet, and I need a place to hide it before I can figure something out." He looks around the room before his eyes settle on the book on Kurt's lap. It's snatched from him before he can protest and Sebastian begins ripping some of the pages out. Kurt's eyes widen in horror; it's his favourite book. He had been rereading the story about the Emperor and his nightingale. He knows that it was written for children but it's the only book in his limited library that has a story about a bird in it and now Sebastian is carelessly tearing it apart.

"Stop it!" he begs, reaching for the book as the discarded pages flutter to the floor like feathers. Sebastian holds the book out of reach, however, and when half of the pages lay crumpled on the floor, he kneels in front of the bookcase, slotting it halfway into place - the hardback cover keeps it standing upright - before dropping the syringe into the hollow and pushing it all the way in.

"Perfect!" he exclaims as Kurt sorrowfully gathers the pages and begins trying to smooth out the creases in the rumpled paper.

_And after this the real nightingale was banished from the empire, and the artificial bird placed on a silk cushion close the emperor's bed._

He reads on one particularly torn page. Kurt wishes he could just fly away like the nightingale in the story, but he's the imitation, he's the Japanese clockwork bird and his only purpose is to be beautiful; he is nothing but an ornament in a vast porcelain palace.

His 'song' is exhausted and recycled and it won't be long before he is in need of replacement too.

Kurt puts the pages back into their rightful order before folding them neatly and tucking them underneath the bookshelf, safe from harm.

* * *

When it comes to inspection day again, Kurt chooses a piece of music and allows his mind to play it non-stop in his head as is now usual. He blocks out the buzzing of the wires as they come to life, and the gentle pricking he feels all over his bare skin. He stares at the floor and allows his eyes to become unfocused while the melody plays on a loop. He isn't quite sure how he ever managed to make it through inspection day before; the music is now his saviour.

By the time Kurt has finished his written exam, he's lost count of how many times the tune has played. He gets back to the recreation room and is surprised to find that Grace is missing. For the last couple of weeks, since her inspection had been ceased, he had gotten used to meeting her straight after his own inspection. Today however, the recreation room is empty as he appears to be the first to arrive back.

He can't help but think of Jay, how she hadn't come back after inspection and that was it, she was gone forever. Is this it for Grace too?

He knows he should be upset about it, but he just can't bring himself to be. If anything he's terrified, two down, what if he's next? What exactly happens when someone dies? He doesn't know anything about the subject, all he _does_ know is that if he dies, like Jay and Pavarotti and now Grace, he won't be able to see Blaine any more.

And what can he do? Jay was taken away because she wasn't good enough and now Grace has been taken away because she's perfect in all the ways they want her to be?

He's brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the sliding door; _it's too early for Sebastian to be_ _back_, he thinks.

But as the door slides shut again, he sees not Sebastian, but Grace and he's suddenly overwhelmed by a brand new feeling that he isn't sure he can quite describe. It's as if something extremely heavy in his chest has suddenly vanished and it leaves him feelings strangely happy, all at the sight of Grace. He can't help but find himself smiling.

He doesn't say anything however, he doesn't feel comfortable expressing the fact that he's glad she's still here. She returns his smile nervously before leaving to get changed while Kurt does the same and they wait for Sebastian in silence.

By the time Sebastian returns - scowling as usual - and has gotten changed, the screen is already showing their schedules. Kurt absently scans through his schedule for the week, it's always the same.

Then it's their scores, the only part of inspection day that any of them hold interest in. Kurt's percentage had slowly been slipping since he'd started learning about music, he had been finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate in his other lessons and that's why the percentage on screen next to the number One was the lowest it had ever been at 82%. Sebastian scoffs at his pitiful score as his own 90% is displayed. While Kurt's score had slowly been slipping, Sebastian's had only been improving.

Beneath Sebastian's 90, Kurt's eyes fall on the three digits following the number Four.

100%

The three of them sit in silence, waiting for the three digits to be replaced by a 99 or a 98. It's a glitch it _has_ to be. But nothing changes; Grace has a perfect score. Sebastian takes her hand and Kurt sees him squeeze it tightly. None of them know what's going to happen next. Grace can't improve any more, they have the genes they want from her; she's perfect. Kurt saw it coming from a mile away.

The silence stretches throughout the room after the numbers on the screen fade to black. There isn't much they can say though Sebastian refuses to let go of the girl's hand.

She's still here now though and that's all that matters; Sebastian doesn't leave her side for the rest of the day and Kurt keeps glancing up to make sure she's still there. She doesn't speak, she doesn't show any emotion and she hardly even moves unless necessary. It's as if she has already started shutting down.

When they're separated at curfew, Sebastian doesn't take it well. The Lab Coats end up having to shock him in order to force him to be obedient while Grace just hangs her head, seemingly in a completely different world to everyone else.

When Grace doesn't come back to the recreation room after lessons the next day, Sebastian loses it. He pounds at the door screaming with rage but the door stays firmly shut and nobody comes. He screams her name until his voice sounds hoarse. Kurt watches in amazement, frozen to the spot as Sebastian goes wild. He tries to understand why he's acting this way, while he himself feels a little upset that Grace is gone - more so than he was for Jay at least - Sebastian is acting insane.

But then, Kurt has never lost anyone that important to him before. The only person he feels like he truly cares about is Blaine and…he can't stop himself when he imagines how it would feel if he lost Blaine. It hurts, more than the needles, more than the electric shocks; it hurts so _much. _Sebastian and Grace may not have exactly the same bond that he and Blaine have but he still thinks he might understand how it must be tearing Sebastian apart.

The prototype continues to pound his fist against the wall until his hand becomes bloodied and bruised. Kurt gasps at the sight as he finally makes an attempt to stop Sebastian; he's never seen real blood outside of a test tube before.

"Sebastian, calm down!" he begs, gripping his arms tightly from behind and attempting to pull him back. "Look at your hand!" Sebastian glances briefly at his hand but quickly tugs himself out of Kurt's grasp before hurling himself at the door once more. Blood smears the perfect silver sheen as he tries to claw it open.

Kurt doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know why the blood is leaking from Sebastian but he knows that it isn't a good thing. All he can do is watch as the taller boy slowly sinks to the floor, leaving bloodied lines tracing after his fingers.

Kurt can see that he is crying. He tentatively edges forward once more, crouching down to Sebastian's level. He doesn't know where to go from this point; he can't exactly bring Grace back for him.

"Get away from me," Sebastian says warningly, he's voice his low and threatening.

"Sebas-"

"GET AWAY!" he bellows and the next thing Kurt is able to register is a blinding pain in his right eye as he is suddenly lying on his back, blinking the room back into focus. Sebastian kneels above him, fists clenched and anger glaring in his eyes. Now, his knuckles are bloodied as well, and Kurt presses a finger to his own temple, hands shaking when he feels a warm wetness gathering there. He pulls it away to find his fingers painted red.

This has never happened before; this isn't normal. Sebastian has broken him, Kurt is sure.

"It should have been you, they should have taken _you_," Sebastian growls as Kurt scrambles to his feet. Before Sebastian has a chance to follow however a Lab Coat appears after the door slides open. Sebastian turns on his heel, ready to attack the stern looking man but before he can even take a step, he is suddenly on the floor once again, writhing in pain. The Lab Coat is directing his small plastic device at him, watching carefully as Sebastian struggles against the intense pain. Kurt crumbles to the floor, his eye throbbing painfully. The Lab Coat takes Sebastian away before another comes to assist Kurt.

He is taken to a room similar to the ones used for inspection. A female Lab Coat dabs something onto his brow causing him to squeeze his eyes closed in pain. The blood stops its flow eventually and Kurt is thankful that Sebastian hasn't broken him permanently.

It isn't long before Kurt is taken back to the recreation room. He tries to walk as slowly as possible, but the Lab Coat leading the way forces him to keep up. Kurt doesn't want to go back, he doesn't want to face Sebastian again. For the first time he thinks he might actually be scared of the other boy.

When he returns, Sebastian is sitting on the smallest sofa, hands clasped in his lap and Kurt notices that one is wrapped neatly in some sort of white fabric. He seems to have calmed down considerably; he doesn't even notice Kurt enter.

In fact, he seems unresponsive to everything. Kurt largely keeps his distance, terrified that he'll explode again but after several minutes of silence, he notices that Sebastian's eyes are glossy and unfocused. He's wobbling slightly from side to side as though he isn't really there. It's almost as though they've emptied out his mind and left only his body.

They've taken away the real Sebastian and replaced him with this imitation.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kurt, what happened?" Blaine asks as soon as he sees the dirty bruising around Kurt's right eye as he takes a seat at the desk.

"Sebastian hit me," he offers with a shrug. It's the first time he has so much as mentioned him in front of Blaine and saying his name in the music room feels foreign to him.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Blaine asks with concern. Kurt nods as he touches a delicate finger to his still tender face.

"I'll be fine."

Sebastian had eventually come back to himself the night before but he was too exhausted to try anything else. Blaine sighs as his monitor beeps with a message from head office. Kurt sees his face immediately fall as he scans through it, the dejectedness there making his own heart break.

"Prototype Four is-"

"Dead. I know," Kurt finishes. Blaine falters for just a moment before nodding. He bites his lip as Kurt feels him staring at him, causing him to shift uncomfortably under the gaze.

"What was her name?" Blaine's voice is soft and barely audible. Kurt knows that he is upset too, not quite so much as Sebastian but the emotion appears to be the same. He doesn't understand; he feels as though everybody seems to feel this way except him. Maybe he really _is_ broken.

"Grace," he says in answer to Blaine question.

"And the other girl?"

"Jay."

"They don't use your real names," Blaine says. Kurt frowns at the obvious statement. "They all refer to you by numbers. It makes you less human I guess. But you _are_ human, you're all real people, why can't they see that?" Blaine's voice starts to break and Kurt isn't quite sure what to do. Blaine has always been strong and confident while Kurt feels like the one about to break. This isn't right.

"Aren't you scared?" Blaine asks desperately. "That's two of you gone now…" He doesn't finish his sentence but Kurt knows what he wants to say.

What if you're next?

"I don't want to die," he admits, "but there isn't a lot I can do to stop it. If they decide I'm not good enough then that's it. I could try to pay more attention in my lessons but if I get a perfect score like Grace then…" He lets out a defeated sigh. "Either way, they'll find a reason to get rid of me." He's trapped, cornered. No matter what direction he moves in he'll still face a dead end. He wasn't created so that he can live, he was created for one purpose and now that purpose is almost fulfilled.

"I don't want to die," he says again, feeling warm tears sliding down his cheeks. He's lost count of how many times he has cried on front of Blaine. He feels scared, just like Grace did when she could see her inevitable end, he can feel himself beginning to give up.

"Come here," Blaine says, sliding his chair slightly so that he and Kurt sit side by side. He wraps an arm around the boy as he begins to tremble a little. Kurt leans into him as he feels his strong arms wrap firmly around him. It feels somehow safe, like no one can ever hurt him as long as Blaine is holding him like this. He doesn't ever want to leave. "It'll be okay," he hears him murmur into his hair but he knows it's a lie. Why do people always do that? Why do they say that everything is okay when it's not? "I'm sorry if I scared you, you're not going to die. Not now anyway. You're gonna be fine," Blaine says firmly and Kurt nods, allowing himself to believe him for now at least.

"Do you do this with Sebastian?" Kurt asks tentatively. He feels like he shouldn't bring it up but he can't help it; he needs to know.

"W-what?"

"Do you hold him like this? Do you…do the things we do…with him?" He tries to keep the accusing tone out of voice but he can still feel its presence.

"N-no, of course not, why would you think that?" Blaine asks and the nerves are clear in his voice.

"Because Sebastian told me that you did." He finally looks up to see Blaine looking carefully at Kurt, he looks thoughtful, as if he's calculating what to say with extreme caution.

"What Sebastian did was wrong," he begins slowly, "I don't think any of you have really been educated enough about these sorts of things but…the things we do - and more - should only happen if both people consent to it."

Kurt nods in understanding while carefully following Blaine's every word.

"I didn't want Sebastian to kiss me…"

"Kiss?" Kurt interrupts, frowning at the word he had never heard before.

"When we…you know," Blaine mumbles, his cheeks reddening as he brings a hand up to rub nervously at the back of his neck. Kurt can't help but find it endearing.

"Is it when we do this?" Kurt asks before leaning forward and lightly putting his mouth against Blaine's. He isn't sure what exactly he needs to do next, he isn't nearly as good at it as Blaine is, so he keeps it haste, pulling away almost as soon as they make contact and sitting back in his chair contentedly.

"Yes," Blaine says, his cheeks turning somehow darker, "that's…that's a kiss."

Kurt grin is short lived as he remembers the conversation that lead to the kiss, his face falling immediately.

"You did that with Sebastian," he states sadly.

"I-I didn't want to, I'm so sorry Kurt," Blaine says hurriedly. Kurt can see just how earnest he is, there's no possibility that he could blame him. "I tried to push him away but…and I don't even know _why_ he did it, I just…"

Kurt realizes that Blaine must have not noticed the missing syringe. He wants to tell him but it isn't an option; he doesn't know what Sebastian would do to him if Kurt betrayed him like that.

"We should probably get started," Kurt suggests averting his eyes as he changes the subject.

"Kurt, I-"

"I know. It's okay I don't blame you," he says, attempting a smile that seems to satisfy Blaine enough to get back to their lesson.

It's difficult to focus; Kurt can't stop thinking about what Sebastian did with Blaine. Blaine is _his_, and he can't focus with the overwhelming need to assert his possessiveness. He rests his own hand on top of Blaine's; the need for contact becoming too much and Blaine responds by placing their palms together and linking their fingers while still explaining the significance of the baroque period without a single pause.

Despite not being nearly as close to Blaine as when they kiss, it's still nice. It somehow leaves his entire body feeling warm, particularly when he begins stroking his thumb lightly against Kurt's as he reads from the textbook.

He is only content with the small touch for a short while however as he eventually begins to crave more, to be closer to Blaine, anything. He shuffles slightly in his seat, edging nearer as he leans his head against Blaine's shoulder. Somehow it feels just right, the warmth spreading throughout his entire body as he sighs contentedly.

Blaine looks up from the book so he can smile fondly at Kurt who has nestled himself into Blaine's side.

"You okay?" he asks. Kurt nods against his shoulder as he tries to find his place in the textbook from which Blaine is reading.

"Perfect," he responds airily, unable to keep the grin off his lips. He feels Blaine press a soft kiss against his hair before continuing his reading. Kurt could easily read it himself but listening to Blaine's voice puts him in an almost trance, he could fall asleep to it, he could listen to Blaine's voice for the rest of his life, he's certain.

Kurt closes his eyes and allows the calming voice to fill him up entirely.

He and Blaine are in a room together. The walls are filled with an array of colours, not a trace of grey and silver in sight. There are birds, lots of birds fluttering about, singing in harmony. The two of them lie together on a soft sofa, Blaine's arms wrap around Kurt protectively as they kiss lazily. It's perfect. Everything is perfect. The piano in the corner seems to play on its own, adding more music to join the bird's song. It's loud yet tranquil, the music secondary to the fact that he and Blaine are together, no Lab Coats in sight.

"Kurt? Wake up," he hears Blaine say fondly before blinking his eyes open. The whiteness of the room is almost blinding as his eyes begin to focus. He was dreaming.

"I fell asleep?" he asks groggily, Blaine nods his reply. "Sorry."

"Don't be. The lesson's kind of over though." Kurt's face falls when he realises he slept through the brief amount of time he gets to spend with Blaine.

"Oh," he mumbles. Blaine takes his chin between his thumb and index fingers, guiding Kurt's face so they're looking at each other.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he says with certainty. Kurt smiles before nodding gently and Blaine pulls him in for a quick kiss.

Kurt isn't sure if he'll ever get used to kissing Blaine; every time they do, he feels his stomach churn with delight and his chest clench almost painfully. Blaine pulls away before standing and leading Kurt towards the door to where another Lab Coat should be waiting to take him to his next lesson.

When the door opens however Sebastian stands alone, a fierce determined look in his eye. The Lab Coat lies in a heap on the floor behind him, his coat open and the pockets empty. Sebastian strides past Kurt in the time it takes him to understand what is happening. He spins on his heel as his heart stops.

"NO!" he yelps just in time to see Sebastian plunge the syringe deep into Blaine's neck. Kurt stands petrified as Blaine eyes widen in shock before slowly drooping tiredly; it's as if his whole body just shuts down. He slumps forward into Sebastian who harshly drops him to the floor with a sickening smack before ripping his coat open to retrieve the last of his syringes. Kurt surges forward, shoving Sebastian out of the way as he falls to Blaine's side. He doesn't know what to do, how can he help?  
"Blaine," he whimpers, clutching at the unmoving boy's shoulders like a lifeline.

"Are you coming or what?" Sebastian demands coldly, eying Kurt with disgust. "Kurt!" He doesn't reply, he can't even look at Sebastian, he just wants to hurt him, make him feel as much pain as possible, make him feel like _he_ does right now. "Suit yourself," he says before finally leaving.

Silence overwhelms the room and Kurt can't stand it. He shakes Blaine's shoulders softly as he whimpers his name over and over but he remains still.

"Blaine, please wake up," he begs, "please, I need you." Nothing. "_Blaine!"_ he sobs, shaking him more violently but still, nothing happens. His cries grow louder as the scenario becomes more and more real by the second. He doesn't want to accept that Blaine is gone, that he's with Jay and Grace and Pavarotti, he needs to be here with Kurt so he can make the pain go away. The music in the room has transformed into tortured screams and wretched sobbing as Kurt does everything to try and deny the truth.

He lies beside him, nestling into his shoulder. This must be how Sebastian felt when Grace was killed. He thought he understood but he was wrong, this hurts far more than it did when Pavarotti died.

"You can't be gone," Kurt murmurs into Blaine's shoulder, "please come back."

Eventually his sobbing dies down into a whimper before he falls quiet entirely. There isn't a single sound penetrating the room, now opaque with silence as he stares blankly at nothing in particular. Everything seems muted now, nothing is real.

The whoosh of the sliding doors brings him out of his mindless stupor as a tall, dark haired Lab Coat marches in, freezing at the sight he encounters.

"Please help," Kurt whispers though his plea falls on deaf ears. The man violently tugs Kurt away from Blaine, holding him tightly by the collar of his shirt, cutting of his air supply. Kurt struggles against the hold, desperate to be close to Blaine though it only chokes him more as the tears begin to gather again. He can't do this, he needs to be near him; he can't leave him. If he does then it will be real, Blaine will be gone and he'd never see him again and he just can't face that.

The Lab Coat pulls the syringe out of Blaine's neck with his free hand and pockets it before pulling another out from the inside of his coat. The first thing Kurt acknowledges is the familiar sting of the needle piercing his neck as the fluid is injected. He continues to struggle but he can feel his limbs growing heavy the more he fights. His body wants nothing more than to shut down, to sleep. He forces his eyes to stay open as everything becomes hazy. He needs to see Blaine just one more time before he goes. Everything is blurry; he can barely make out the figure on the floor as he feels himself slipping. The edges of his vision darken and he can feel himself going limp, unable to struggle any more.

And then he's gone.

* * *

Sebastian holds the syringe tight in his hand as he stands outside of the door to his second lesson. He's wanted to do this the moment he was alone with one of the Lab Coats but something inside him told him to wait, to save Kurt as well. They might hate each other but they're in this together, he needs to at least offer him the chance to get out also. Grace is gone now; Kurt is all he has left.

He waits until the Lab Coat punches in the code for the door before sinking the syringe into the back of his neck; it doesn't take long for him to go completely limp and Sebastian grins when he realises that of course, he was completely right in his assumption that the syringes cause serious damage. He hastily tears open the unconscious man's coat, finding more of the lethal injections. Every Lab Coat who doesn't have an assigned room must carry them around with them, except for Mr Anderson, just another reason for Sebastian not to trust him.

Once he has retrieved the extra syringes, Sebastian presses the 'accept' button on the keypad resulting in the door sliding open. He doesn't hesitate; the moment he has the Lab Coat in his sight he takes two quick strides forward and thrusts the injection into his neck without a second thought.

"NO!" Kurt's scream echoes, causing Sebastian to jolt at the abrupt cry as he remembers in his vengeance that Kurt is still in the room. The Lab Coat is already going limp, falling forward and crashing into Sebastian. He steps back and allows him to hit the floor before stooping down, turning him over and retrieving more of the weapons. With every Lab Coat he kills, he can obtain more syringes.

He is shoved out of the way by a frantic Kurt who kneels before the Lab Coat, sobbing hysterically. Sebastian frowns; why does he care about this Lab Coat? They need to get out and he is just another one of _them_. He's the reason why they're locked up, he's the reason why they killed Grace, and just like the rest of them he needs to be punished.

"Are you coming or what?" he asks impatiently, they need to leave now before the other Lab Coats show up. Kurt only ignores him.

He doesn't understand, all Kurt ever wanted was to find out what it was like outside of the lab. He's read about those fantasies over and over and worked up quite the image in his mind and to be frank, Sebastian was somewhat looking forward to seeing his disappointed face once he realised it wasn't nearly as amazing as he'd made himself believe it was. But for that to happen, they need to go,_ now_.

"Kurt!" Sebastian hollers in an attempt to get his attention but still the boy refuses to look at him. Why is he doing this? Kurt's willing to throw away everything he has ever dreamed of for _him? _A Lab Coat? Despite everything those people did to them he's sacrificing his freedom so he can cry over a dead one? "Suit yourself," he huffs in disgust before turning to leave; he can't wait any longer.

Once in the hallway, he breaks into a jog, looking for the nearest way out; he hadn't exactly thought of an escape route, all he knows is that he needs to get out, no matter what it takes. Everything is quiet, eerily so and it feels strange walking through the familiar hallways alone, he's used to constantly being escorted wherever he goes.

He makes a right, bursting through an unlocked door into another maze of corridors and Sebastian sighs in frustration. He sees a Lab Coat walking in his direction; too busy reading something off of his clipboard to look ahead of him. Sebastian slows back into a slow stroll, waiting impatiently for their paths to cross. He'll enjoy this. All of the years he suffered and now finally he can pay them back for it. He finds himself almost shaking with anticipation.

When they're no more than a meter away from each other, the Lab Coat finally looks up, spotting Sebastian. It takes him a fraction of a second to recognise him and in the momentary hesitation he is already thrusting one of his needles into the Lab Coat's arm, grinning hysterically as he empties the syringe. He trembles for a moment before crumpling to the floor in a heap and Sebastian allows himself to actually laugh for a moment before taking his syringes and continuing on his way.

He traverses the halls again, getting more and more desperate as he attempts to find some sort of exit; there _has_ to be one. There must be something more, something outside. He hears a group of Lab Coats before they turn the corner and Sebastian ducks into an open room before they see him; he's not sure how many he can take on at once and doesn't want to find out. They're frantic, he can tell from their voices, they're looking for him.

"We're on our way to the site sir," one of them says into a strange device that Sebastian has often seen Lab Coats talk into. "Prototype Two, yes sir. And Prototype One is already…? Yes…Okay…I understand." The voices slowly become quieter as they move in the opposite direction. It isn't until the sound has faded completely that Sebastian gives up his hiding spot. They're looking for him now so he needs to be more careful.

He strains to hear everything, narrowly avoiding being spotted a second time by another group as he hears them talking into more strange devices before they come into sight.

He's still hopelessly lost. The signs on the walls don't make any sense to him as he attempts to find anything that isn't flawless silver walls and endless corridors. There isn't even a single window that could lead outside.

"I found Two, I repeat, I found Two, he's in the east wing along the J corridor." Sebastian hears the frantic message from behind before being tackled brutally to the floor. He shifts and struggles in the Lab Coat's grasp, managing to punch him square in the jaw and sending him flying backwards. Hastily, he scrambles to his feet as the Lab Coat is disorientated.

Something is grabbing at his feet, causing him to stumble and crash once again to the floor. He crawls helplessly on the slippery surface in an attempt to get away though it isn't long before he realises it's impossible. He turns onto his back, kicking the lab Coat in the face but his grip on his ankles remains tight. He witnesses as the Lab Coat agitatedly fumbles for a syringe before pulling one out and aiming it at Sebastian. This only causes his struggles to increase, he kicks and kicks again, hitting the Lab Coat's hand and knocking the syringe out of his grasp. He watches it slide away before grinning victoriously as he continues to struggle and manages to kick him in the jaw again and again. His grip loosens and Sebastian manages to pull his leg free before reaching for one of his own syringes. He dives forward and plunges it directly under the Lab Coat's chin. He freezes as it penetrates and Sebastian laughs maliciously before slowly pressing the lethal liquid into his body, watching in delight as his eyes go full and his body slumps to the ground.

Giving himself only a moment to catch his breath, Sebastian is on his feet again, running with no direction. They know where he is now so it can't be long before they're there.

He runs until his legs feel like lead, hitting dead end after dead end. All he wants is to get out but he can't seem to find the way.

Forcing himself onwards, he ignores the aching in his legs but is halted immediately when he runs into a wall of bodies. He topples backwards, sliding slightly on the smooth floor and before he can register the fact that he is no longer running there are a dozen Lab Coats advancing on him. The panic sets in as he tries to scramble to his feet. No, they can't, he's supposed to be out by now, he should be free.

"Get off of me!" he screeches as he feels them grabbing at him. A firm grip holds his arms tightly and another takes his shoulders. There are hands all over him as he tries to fight. He gets a few punches in here and there and elbows one unfortunate Lab Coat standing behind him but he's otherwise helpless. In a desperate attempt for freedom he tries fruitless to reach for his supply of syringes but he can barely reach the pocket.

It happens all at once. He's struggling, then there's a piercing feeling in his neck followed by a slow drowsiness. Despite this, he continues to fight, it can't end now, it just can't. He needs to…

Needs to…

…sleep.

He lets out one last defeated whimper before the world turns to nothingness.


	8. Chapter 8

The room is white, too white, Blaine thinks. He's covered in wires and there are machines beeping to the side of him. He tries to think how he got there, but all he remembers is Kurt. He was worried about…something; he can't quite recall what. Where _is _Kurt? He shifts on what feels more like an examination table than a bed despite the smooth white sheets covering whatever it is. Like everything else, they are too clean, the glare from the overhead lights reflecting into his bleary eyes. He knows for a fact this isn't a hospital, this is the lab but his brain just can't calculate why he's here. All he wants to do is sleep, even though he feels like he's slept for days.

"Professor Anderson, your son is beginning to wake up," Blaine hears a distant voice say into a phone. It's the first indication that there are others in the room, how had he not noticed them there before?

He tries to sit up but one of the other scientists urges him back down with a stern look. Blaine huffs in frustration, he doesn't like this. The wires make him feel trapped and nothing is making sense. His mind is so out of tune that he can't even recognise the scientists in the room with him. They're not much more than blank faces with white lab coats to him.

His neck aches, it feels heavy and bruised and when he brings a hand up to test it, his fingers brush against some sort of bandaging there. His eyes widen at the familiar pain he feels when he presses his fingers against it. The piercing of a needle through his skin, his neck in particular…

Sebastian.

"Blaine!" His father interrupts Blaine's memories as he enters the room. "How do you feel?" Blaine is surprised to see concern in his father's eyes; it only makes him nervous.

"I'm…fine, I think," he says slowly, getting used to speaking considering how lethargic he feels. His father heaves a sigh of relief. "How long have I been…?"

"A week." Blaine blanches, has he really been asleep for a whole week? No, not asleep, unconscious, comatose even. Now he can see why his dad looks so worried. "We weren't sure if you would…" he sighs heavily, "you took three quarters of the lethal injection. You're lucky, any more and you'd probably be dead." Blaine swallows heavily. Sebastian had tried to kill him. He remembers now, opening the door, Sebastian standing there alone and the needle penetrating his neck as Kurt screamed. Kurt! What did Sebastian do after he'd passed out?

"The prototypes...where are they now?" he inquires, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice.

"They're both under strict detainment until we can conclude the investigation and to do that, you need to make a statement about what happened." Blaine can see how serious his father is taking this but he can't help but feel like there's something more.

"What will happen to them?" he asks slowly, unsure if he wants to know the answer.

"Save it for the investigation," his father says. "I'll arrange for a meeting in half an hour, I'll have some fresh clothes brought in, make sure you're ready." Blaine nods as his father turns to leave, and is surprised as he pauses at the door before turning back into the room. "I'm glad you're okay, son," he says before leaving for good.

Blaine can't even register the rare act of sympathy from his father because all that resonates through his mind is Kurt. He tries to tell himself that Kurt will be okay. Kurt did nothing wrong, he wasn't the one who attacked him, and once he makes his statement, everything will be fine.

He doesn't know how he's supposed to make it through the meeting; he can barely sit up without wanting to collapse. His head spins perpetually as he waits for his body to acclimatise to the upright position. While waiting for his clothes to be delivered, Blaine runs through his story in his head, remembering odd facts here and there making it difficult to keep consistent.

After about ten minutes, his head finally manages to clear. He can now recognise the two scientists who are still present in the room, observing his condition and taking note of the numbers on the screen. He feels like some sort of exhibition.

Someone he doesn't recognise drops off some clothes along with his lab coat, he assumes his father wants him to wear it. It will remind people that he is in fact a member of staff here at the lab rather than just a victim. His father's obsession with image and impression continues to astound him.

The two scientists are still in the room and Blaine looks pitifully at the pile of clothes in his lap, clearing his throat slightly to gain their attention. He nods towards the door and they seem to take the hint, leaving so that Blaine can change after the doctor detaches the wires from Blaine's body, seemingly redundant now.

Neither of them returns after Blaine is dressed and he doesn't feel like waiting around for his father to collect him. Deciding to wake his legs up a little, he makes his way out into the hallway and strolls slowly through the lab. His legs are stiff from disuse so he takes it slow. As he passes a window, Blaine notices that his hair is surprisingly washed and his skin smooth without a single blemish.

This is why he was left to recover at the lab rather than a hospital. The facilities here, though still in their trial period, are far more advanced than general care at a hospital. His father has great influence at the lab and Blaine is certain that he arranged for him to stay here to receive the best treatment.

Blaine wanders through the hallways, keeping track of the room numbers so he doesn't get lost; he'd always found the lab's layout to be needlessly complex. He wants to find Kurt but he knows the chances of finding him are slim, considering that he has no idea where he and Sebastian are and knowing the security of the place, especially now, gaining access to them is most likely impossible.

When he eventually wanders back to his room, Blaine is surprised to find his father already there, waiting for him. He looks impatient and Blaine glances briefly to the clock to find that it is, in fact, time for this meeting he's expected to testify at.

"There you are. Don't wander off like that," he says bluntly. Blaine still isn't used to his father being this…concerned if that's what you'd call it, but well, he supposes, he _did_ nearly die.

"Sorry," he says awkwardly, unsure how to act around him now. His father says nothing as he leads the way to the conference room.

If Blaine thought the scientists were strict and uptight, they were nothing compared to the room full of lawyers he's now faced with. They sit at a long table, each one wearing a grey suit just as bland as the last and Blaine can't help but feel underdressed. There are five of them lined up like a firing squad, ready to attack him with their questions.

"Mr Anderson, please take a seat," the one in the middle says, his grey suit is depreciated by his grey hair and grey beard and grey face. Blaine sits alongside his father at a small table facing the row of inquirers. He isn't sure if they were talking to him or his father but either way, he's knows it's not important.

"Now I need you to tell me, as accurately as possible, what, from your point of view, happened on Monday July 14th between nine forty five and ten thirty am," the man sitting centred at the table asks.

"I…u-um," Blaine stutters for a moment as he tries to collect his thoughts. "I was teaching. It was my first lesson of the day, I was with…Prototype One," he begins, he wants to say 'Kurt' but he knows that none of these people will know who that is. Except maybe for his father and that would only cause more problems. "We were just finishing," he continues, "I walked him to the door so I could greet Prototype Two there. He's usually escorted to my room by Mr Hadley who then takes One to his next lesson but I didn't see him there. Two was alone." Blaine pauses to look up at the suits staring intently at him. One of them is writing down everything he says on an open laptop and he can't help but be unnerved by it. If he makes one mistake, if his memory doesn't cooperate then they'd take him for a liar.

"The next thing I know, he's walking towards me and he plunges a syringe into my neck and…that's all I can remember," the men in suits nod as everything is written down.

"Mr Hadley wasn't there when the door opened?" Mr Grey Beard asks and Blaine confirms with a shake of his head. The five men exchange glances and Blaine suddenly feels as though he has done something wrong. "Then how exactly would the door have opened? It is to our understanding that the prototypes don't know how to open the doors at this facility."

"I…" Blaine starts to respond before he realises that they're right. How _did_ Sebastian open that door? "I don't know,"

"Mr Anderson, I'm not sure if you are aware of this but James Hadley was found dead at the scene," the lawyer informs him. Blaine can feel his stomach drop. Dead? Someone _died_?

"Do you know where the prototype managed to obtain the lethal dose from?" Everybody else in the room seem to suddenly have their eyes trained on him as Blaine notes that Mr Grey Beard's tone seems to become more and more accusatory.

"No, he already had it in his hand when the door opened," Blaine says shakily.

"I'm talking about the one used to kill Mr Hadley."

"I…I have no idea." He's trying to piece everything together but there's something missing, it just doesn't add up. A look of intrigue passes between the men at the table before Mr Grey Beard speaks again.

"Mr Anderson, the syringe found in Mr Hadley's neck was identified as one of yours." The room seems to suddenly go silent as they wait for an answer. Blaine looks to his father sitting beside him but he's looking straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge him. He can't think that Blaine…? Can he? Can _they?_

"You're saying that…I was the one who…k-killed him?" he tries though his voice is shaky and uneven. They can't possibly blame him for this.

"We're not saying anything Mr Anderson. Although the evidence points heavily in that direction, this inquiry is for us to find out the truth. Would you like to make a statement regarding Mr Hadley's death?"

"I didn't kill him," Blaine says as firmly as he can manage. Another moment passes in silence filled only by the tapping of keys on the computer as everything is recorded. Blaine fidgets uncomfortably in his seat, his father still isn't looking at him and everything feels like it's falling to pieces. They have to believe him but how can he prove it?

"The only other person who could possibly have killed Mr Hadley is Prototype Two. Before the syringe was identified, this is what we initially thought as we have evidence that he killed two other victims, Mr Kevin Donahue and Mr Liam King. As well as the attempted murder of yourself allegedly. However you claim that Mr Hadley was nowhere to be seen when the door opened?" Blaine nods nervously.

"I…I didn't see him there but it all happened so fast…" Blaine feels like he's fighting a losing battle.

"Sir, if I may interrupt," his father says from beside him, it's the first thing he's said since they entered the room. "My son was clearly _attacked_. We now know that it was Two who did it so how does it make sense to accuse him of Mr Hadley's death?" He's defending him. It's such an absurd notion to Blaine that he's not sure whether to laugh or cry.

"Anderson senior, we understand that it would be easy to simply place the blame on Prototype Two, however the matter of the murder weapon is one we cannot ignore. How did he get that syringe?"

"He stole it from me," Blaine says in a verbal realisation. "A couple of days before the incident he was…" Blaine blushes at the memory as he realises that he'll have to tell the room full of people what Sebastian did in order to clear his name. He closes his eyes for a second before sighing. "Prototype Two was abusing me…sexually." He can feel his entire face reddening as everyone in the room collectively gasps and he's unable to look at his father, too mortified with embarrassment. "Nothing really happened," he clarifies quickly. "He tried to…to touch me and kiss me and at the time I thought it was just hormones and stuff, I mean he's a teenager, right? And he hasn't been taught those sorts of things but…he must have stolen one of my syringes then, he had his hands down my coat so..."

He chooses then to stop talking; sure he has got his point across. Mr Grey Beard is eying him quizzically while the scribe is tapping frantically on his laptop. Blaine still refuses to look at his father despite the fact that he can feel his eyes boring into him. He knows what he is thinking now. That he's weak, pathetic, and useless. Par for the course, Blaine thinks.

"So you're testifying sexual assault as well as everything else against Prototype Two, correct?" The man looks serious. Blaine nods in reply as they all begin to stand. "Thank you Mr Anderson, we'll review the case and make a decision as to the course of action to be taken place. We thank you for your cooperation."

The suits and the two head scientists file out of the room one by one leaving Blaine and his father alone. His father says nothing as he stands, ready to leave as well. Blaine follows after him, unsure of what he's supposed to do now, instead focusing on keeping up with his father's long strides.

"You need to go back to your room," he says eventually when they near the hospital-like room Blaine had been kept in. "You probably shouldn't have even gone today, you need to rest." Blaine would be surprised at his father's display of concern if there were any hint of affection in his voice. Instead he sounds robotic, as if he had been trained to tell Blaine to go back to his room.

"I'm sorry," he says as his father begins to leave. He nods in acknowledgement before leaving Blaine at the door. He isn't sure what he's apologising for, he shouldn't feel the need to do so. He's never apologised for being gay or different or for feeling the way he does about the lab and he isn't apologising for any of those things now. He can't say why but he just feels like it needs to be said. He promised he would try his best to make a good impression at the lab. And now because of his refusal to punish Sebastian like he should have done, three people are dead.

Blaine doesn't say another word for the rest of the day. There isn't exactly anyone he could talk to even if he did feel like speaking. All he has for company is the occasional doctor who comes in to check on him or scold him for exerting himself too much by going to the meeting. He does as he's told, he sleeps when he's told to rest and eats when they bring him food.

He has no idea what's supposed to happen now.

The day passes in a dull monotony and after what feels like a lifetime of staring at the blank walls, his father is returning the next morning, with another fresh set of clothes for him.

No words are exchanged between them as they walk ominously to the conference room.

All of the grey suits are already seated at the table, waiting for them.

"We've reviewed the case with all of the evidence we have," Mr Grey Beard, dressed in a slightly darker grey suit than the day before, says after initial pleasantries are exchanged. "We have come to the conclusion that you did not murder Mr Hanley and that Prototype Two was acting entirely by his own means and not under any influence whatsoever by your own actions. Because of this, he is being held solely responsible for all three deaths as well as the attempted murder of yourself." Blaine nods as he follows, breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that they're note blaming him but not allowing himself to rejoice just yet; there's something more.

"The prototypes are not protected by human rights laws nor are they recognised as legitimate members of society. In short, they are not people and we believe it fitting, to avoid further lawsuits and other complications, that you should terminate the program and exterminate the two remaining prototypes." Blaine feels his heart stop. He frantically looks about the room for a response from anyone else, they can't just _kill_ them. Thankfully, the two head scientists seem to be almost as distressed as he is.

"Sir, with all due respect, this project is barely out of its infant stages, without the prototypes we can't move on to the next level of research. We'd all be out of work and the millions of dollars put into this research will go to waste," the older looking man exclaims. He's fighting for all the wrong reasons but at least he's fighting for Kurt's survival, making him an ally in Blaine's eyes.

"We can't have members of your staff dying because of negligence and we can't leave the prototypes unpunished. They are dangerous and you expect to use their genes in the development of the next generation?" Mr Grey Beard accuses and the professor doesn't seem to have a reply. Blaine knows he has to do something, say anything to stop them but what can he do? He's powerless.

"Sir, please," he begs as Mr Grey Beard makes to close the case so he can leave, "I don't think it's necessary to punish both of them, Prototype One did nothing wrong it would be cruel to sentence him to death for a crime he didn't commit." It's a reasonable request and Blaine is sure he sees some of the others in the room consider his argument for a second, but Mr Grey Beard stays firm.

"If one of the prototypes goes astray then what's to say the other won't? I'm not sentencing them to death; I am merely cutting short their allowance of life. They're not human. They weren't born. Their life was given to them and it can be taken away just as easily." At this, Mr Grey Beard stands, collects his files and ends the discussion while the rest of the table also begin to pack up their things. They can't go, Blaine thinks, they can't just leave it at that; there are lives at stake.

"Please!" he hears himself begging, rising to his feet to try as he tries to catch their attention. They're going to kill Kurt and there's nothing he can do. No one will listen.

The door closes behind them with a heavy _bang_.


	9. Chapter 9

When Kurt wakes, it is to intense pain throbbing through the entirety of his body. He can feel the familiar buzzing, pulsing through him except it doesn't stop like it normally should; instead it's continuous, mild but just strong enough to leave him aching and exhausted.

He knows this room; it's the room that tormented him every week for as long as he can remember. Up until recently that is, when he had started humming a tune quietly under his breath. It was just enough to distract him from the pain, the humiliation and the doubt. He tries to hum again, though the names of the different melodies are lost to him, the tune sounding sour on his lips. His body is trembling too much to make the wonderful sounds that had once saved him. The sound is now distorted and ugly and Kurt hates himself for ruining something so beautiful.

He instead listens to the song on repeat in his head but it does nothing to dull the pain and the fear.

He has to face the fact that he has no idea what's going on, what's about to happen, why everything is suddenly destroyed. As for Blaine…Blaine is gone. Blaine is dead. Sebastian killed Blaine. These thoughts run circles in his mind over and over. There just seems to be no point to anything anymore.

* * *

Blaine sits on the bed of his hospital room; they're still not quite ready to release him despite the fact that he feels fine now. Back hunched over and hands clasped between his trembling knees, he allows himself to cry. No one else is in the room to see it so he has no reservations about letting it all out.

It's everything he ever feared. They had talked about it but something inside him refused to let him believe that it would ever actually happen. Everything had been hypothetical until now. If only he hadn't let Sebastian take advantage of him like that; if he had acted, if he had punished Sebastian, then none of this would have happened. No one would have gotten hurt, and Kurt wouldn't be killed for something he didn't do.

It all seems so primitive; there was barely a trial, no chance for Kurt and Sebastian to defend their actions. Not that Sebastian deserves it, Blaine thinks, shuddering at the memory of being touched by such evil hands.

Kurt, on the other hand, had done _nothing_. He doesn't deserve this. Blaine lets out a wretched sob as it hits him over and over again. Kurt is going to be killed. Kurt is going to die. _Kurt is going to die._

He clenches his hands in his hair, tugging at the strands and tearing until his scalp is numb.

He needs to fix this, how can he just sit by while Kurt faces this alone? He needs to do something but what?

* * *

"Kurt," Sebastian murmurs from across the room. Kurt refuses to look at him; Sebastian caused all of this, has ruined everything. "You're angry at me," he states and Kurt huffs in response. Of course he's angry; he's _fuming_ at Sebastian and his reckless behaviour. "Is it because of that Lab Coat?" he asks, sending Kurt into another internal spiral.

_He's not just a Lab Coat,_ he thinks, _he's Blaine._

"I was only trying to get us out of here," Sebastian claims.

"You didn't have to kill him," Kurt retorts. It's the first thing he has said in what feels like forever. His voice is raspy and weak but he tries not to let it show just how broken he feels. "He was on our side."

"He was one of _them,_" Sebastian replies, his voice growing in volume. "No matter how he treats you or how different you think he might have been he was still a part of _this_. He worked for _them_."

"But-"

"And do you honestly think he would have just let us walk out? Just like that? He was nothing but another obstacle. Not that it matters now anyway," Sebastian finishes with a sigh.

"Now we have nothing," Kurt whispers. "No hope, no future…"

"Exactly."

The silence is marred only by the gentle buzzing which envelopes the room and Kurt very simply cannot take it. He had grown used to the silence over so many years in the seemingly never-ending stillness of it, but now, all he can think about is Blaine. Blaine's voice, Blaine's laugh, Blaine's music. The silence only reminds him that he will never hear any of them again.

"Do you think they'll kill us now?" Kurt asks, if only to break the silence.

"Me? Yeah. Who knows what they'll do with you though."

"Why am I locked up here with you?" Kurt asks pointedly and Sebastian's hard gaze finally softens. "I don't think I'm here just to keep you company."

"What good company would you make anyway?" Sebastian attempts to joke. Kurt smiles sympathetically. He knows what's coming. Sebastian can try and spare him from the truth as much as he likes but he's done with being optimistic. This is the end and they both know it.

* * *

Blaine has always tried to be the picture perfect son. It hasn't always been easy, but he had made an effort to blend in for his parents, to play it straight and to at least pretend to show interest in the girls his father would introduce him to at dinner parties. He had worked relentlessly every day in high school, giving him a shot at getting into a good college and out on his own for once; now, at NYU, he studies music as well as teaching because, in the words of his father, _'music is just a hobby, not a sustainable career choice'. _Five hundred miles and twenty thousand dollars a year later, and Blaine's father was still controlling his life.

When he had gotten the call from his father asking if he would be interested in a summer job at the lab, Blaine had thought that finally, he might just earn that approval he had always wanted from him. Maybe if he could do this right, he wouldn't feel like such a monumental failure and a let-down. His father could be proud of him!

His big mistake had been his compassion, but how could he have prevented that? Falling for Kurt was inevitable. Now everything has fallen apart; his father won't even look at him, and the person he cares about most is about to die. Things can't exactly get much worse…

So what if he stopped trying to be the picture perfect son? What if he broke the rules for once? Things weren't exactly working out the way he or anyone had planned. What if he just stopped trying to please everyone?

It isn't until Blaine is standing and striding towards the door that he realises he's actually moving. He has no idea where he's going or what he's supposed to do but he just needs to do _something_.

Find him. That's the priority at the moment; he can't do anything until he finds Kurt.

But the lab is _huge!_ How is he supposed to find him? Regardless, he shrugs his lab coat over his shoulders and walks hastily down the monotonous hallways while racking his brain for potential holding places.

Where would the most logical place be to keep him? They wouldn't keep them in the rec room, too much freedom there.

_Where can they ensure maximum control over Kurt?_

As much as he has tried to rid the memory from his mind, Blaine can't help but think back to his first day, the image of Kurt standing pale and exposed behind the glass as a multitude of wires connected themselves to him and he was shocked relentlessly over and over again. Kurt had been unable to move, Professor Hughes had had complete and utter control over him.

It's the only place Blaine can think of that seems logical enough to hold Kurt and Sebastian prisoner so he makes his way towards room 6C; he's sure he'll never forget that room number.

What he intends to do once he actually reaches the room however, Blaine has no idea.

He knocks tentatively, waiting to see if anyone is inside; moments later, the electronic door slides open to reveal Professor Hughes.

"Anderson?"

"Good afternoon Professor…" Blaine says automatically before the panic sets in as he realises he has no idea what to do now.

"Can I help you?"

Think of something; _anything_! Now is the time to prove himself, for Kurt.

"Tea, coffee?" he says instead and cringes at how pathetic he is. While Professor Hughes is considering however, Blaine catches a glimpse passed his shoulder at the huge glass wall he remembers all too well. In the room beyond the glass he sees them, Kurt and Sebastian. They are connected by an impossible number of wires and Blaine tries not to think of the last time he saw Kurt in that room.

"Coffee would be great," Professor Hughes says, bringing Blaine out of his thoughts.

"Huh?

"Coffee, black, no sugar, thank you." Blaine nods feebly as Professor Hughes retreats back into the room and the door slides shut.

Okay, so now he at least knows where they are. He supposes that's progress. What now?

As a child, Blaine had read a multitude of books, mostly fantasies and epic adventures. He had pictured brave knights storming fortresses and wreaking havoc in order to save their loved ones. Heroes would traverse great distances to complete their quest and overcome great obstacles as they did so. Fighting incredible beasts and slaying dragons.

Blaine doesn't feel much like one of these heroes, standing in a cold, unspectacular kitchen, waiting for the coffee machine to spew out the brown liquid.

But what can he do? Blaine never felt like he actually _was_ the hero when reading those books. He had always felt like the person who needed to _be_ saved rather than the one doing any saving. He realizes now that he has already been saved; Kurt had done that. He may not have made a spectacular entrance, riding a noble steed and wielding a mighty sword. No, Kurt had been much more discreet in his heroism. Kurt had shown him how the smallest and simplest things have the ability to make you happy. That grand gestures and intricate words aren't always necessary.

He had also shown him that the world is a very corrupt place so what did it matter if Blaine broke just a few rules?

Arriving back at Professor Hughes' room, Blaine refused to allow himself to think. Thinking means talking himself out of what he's about to do. The door slides open once more and Blaine insists on entering the room with the coffee, making a spectacle of placing it on the desk and asking the professor if there was anything else he needed.

This proves to be an effective distraction as while Professor Hughes is contemplating if he can make this young newcomer do any more menial tasks for him, Blaine takes the opportunity to pound his fist into the man's temple in a swift roundhouse punch.

His aim is precise as Professor Hughes collapses to the floor, unconscious. Blaine stands for several seconds, stunned at his own actions. There's no turning back now. He has just assaulted a senior member of the laboratory, so he might as well make the most of the time he has.

Turning to the control panel, Blaine begins frantically scanning the numerous buttons and dials; he needs to release the wires before he can do anything else. He casts his mind back, wishing he had paid more attention when Professor Hughes briefly showed him the basics. He turns a dial he recognises from that day though the moment the ear shattering shriek fills the room, he immediately returns it to its previous setting.

Now, with no idea as to how long Professor Hughes will be knocked out for, Blaine begins to panic.

As quickly as it had come over him, the panic subsides as he finds a small green button labelled 'retract' and he tries his luck by pressing it. The mechanical whir of the moving wires fills the air and Blaine almost cries out in joy when he sees them disentangling themselves from Kurt.

He turns back to the unconscious professor, a spontaneous thought giving him an idea as he strips the man of his lab coat before hurrying out of the control room to find the door to the holding room.

* * *

"What's happening?" Kurt wonders aloud as the wires begin to retreat.

"Do I even need to say it?" Sebastian says morosely.

"Do you think Grace and Jay knew? When it was time for them to…?" Kurt asks as the relief of finally being detached floods through him, in spite of the fact that what now awaits him is surely worse than an electric shock.

"Grace knew that she was going to die for a long time," Sebastian says. It doesn't answer Kurt's question but the thought haunts him. He doesn't want that to be his last thought in this place, before he goes…wherever it is people go when they die. Do they go anywhere at all? Kurt has no idea.

He thinks of Blaine, wonders if maybe they'll get to be together again if they're both dead. Something tells him that it's a foolish thought and that not much awaits him. Perhaps it will be like sleeping except he won't wake up in the morning, eager for his lessons with Blaine, he'll just stay asleep. Forever.

Kurt doesn't want to die.

"Were you really trying to save me?" he asks. If he can go to his eternal sleep knowing that he could at least call Sebastian his ally then maybe it would lessen the pain slightly. It takes a moment for him to reply.

"Yeah," he says, his voice rasped and shaky. "Not that it did us much good."

They can hear the doors rattling as someone prepares to enter. Kurt offers one last grim smile to Sebastian before the final door slides open with a whoosh. To their utter shock, there is no Lab Coat standing on the other side.

It's Blaine.

He rushes towards Kurt, enveloping him in the warmest embrace Kurt is sure he has ever had. It seems almost impossible to do anything but tremble, unable to make a coherent thought; all his brain can scream is _Blaine Blaine Blaine. _

He is crying but he doesn't know how or why because he's so _happy_ and aren't you only supposed to cry when bad things happen? He's still not used to the idea but he can't help but remember the first time Blaine had played the piano for him and he had cried then too. And now Blaine is holding him and for a moment, everything seems okay.

"You're not dead," he whimpers into Blaine's chest brokenly. He feels much like he did when Grace had come back to the rec room after he was certain she was already gone. The sense of relief was the same, only multiplied by a thousand, a hundred thousand even.

"Not dead," Blaine assures with another tight squeeze. "But we really need to get going, I don't know how much time we've got," he says, gripping Kurt's hands tightly and pulling him to his feet. He stumbles slightly from the days of disuse but manages to stand on his own.

"Wait!" he pleads as Blaine pulls him towards the door. "What about Sebastian?" Blaine's eyes harden and the moment he says it, he wonders if he should regret it. Sebastian did, after all, try to kill Blaine. He sees Blaine swallow thickly as he's obviously wondering why on earth Kurt would be making such a request. "He has good intentions," he adds meekly. Even if his methods were definitely wrong, his heart was arguably in the right place. He had gone out of his way to try and give Kurt the chance to escape, that should count for something, right? Especially coming from someone like Sebastian. The least he can do is offer him the same chance of freedom. "I can't just leave him here."

"Kurt, he-" Blaine hisses but Kurt interrupts.

"Please," he begs. Blaine looks downright torn and Kurt can't help but feel guilty asking this of him.

"Fine," Blaine relents with gritted teeth. He looks panicky and on edge and clearly in a hurry as he removes something from the pocket of the lab coat in his hand before tossing it to Sebastian. He then takes his own off , handing it to Kurt in a much less aggressive manner.

"You'll have to wear mine," he says. Kurt's breathe hitches as he takes in Blaine in his red and white short sleeved button up. He has never seen him like this; without his lab coat and he looks like an entirely different person. He tries to control his breathing as he realises just how much fonder of Blaine he suddenly becomes in those few short seconds. No longer is he a symbol of Kurt's lifelong suppression. Now he's just a boy, just Blaine. Nothing more, nothing less and it is all he has ever wanted.

"I am _not_ wearing this," Sebastian hisses as he rises to his feet, eyeing the rolled up coat with disgust.

"Either wear that or get caught. Haven't you wondered how they found you so easily the first time you tried to escape? I don't know if you've noticed but we all wear lab coats here. But you don't and that makes you stand out. So put the coat on," Blaine growls in an assertive manner that makes Kurt's entire body tingle, as Sebastian begrudgingly puts the coat on.

Kurt almost doesn't notice the mechanical buzzing and the wires clawing their way at his bare feet but the pricking sensation is difficult to ignore. He lets out a shriek as he yanks his leg away, but the wires follow, embedding themselves deeper into Kurt's body.

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaims and is on his knees in an instant, ripping the wires out of Kurt's skin relentlessly. Blood pours from the miniscule punctures that now decorate his feet and still the wires surge forward, attempting to reattach themselves. He collapses to the floor beside Blaine kicking at them as they refuse to back down. They claw at his feet and inject themselves into his ankles and the pain is blinding but he won't give up without a fight.

Blaine is beside him and the probes begin to try and latch onto him as well. He has less skin showing, so they ruthlessly climb up to his bare arms, digging into his skin as he rips more and more off of himself and Kurt. He barely registers Sebastian writhing in the corner, too concerned for Blaine's and his own safety.

The wires begin to overpower them as the blood continues to flow. Beside Kurt, Blaine suddenly stops fighting as his entire body is racked with tiny tremors. His jaw clenches and he can make out the muscles beneath his skin trembling with effort but he remains motionless. Kurt knows exactly what's going on and his fears are confirmed once he sees a wire snaking beneath Blaine's shirt.

He doesn't need to see in order to know precisely where it has pierced him, right at the base of the neck. Only a handful of times has Kurt ever experienced it but the memories never really fade, he can remember exactly the numbing sensation of being completely and totally paralyzed.

"Blaine," he whispers urgently as more wires twist and turn until they settle somewhere under his skin. He clasps his hand around the one buried under Blaine's shirt and tugs in the hope to release him but, to his horror, Blaine convulses violently the moment he applies force. Immediately, his hand shoots back as if scolded and he's at a loss. What can he do? "Blaine please!" he begs despite knowing it will do nothing as he clutches desperately at his shirt, the fabric soft against his shaking fingers.

He can feel the slither up his back. It's coming. Kurt swallows as he tries not to be afraid. There's nothing left that he can do. He curls himself into Blaine, frantic for just some of his warmth as he squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry as he anticipates the incision of the thick wire.

It doesn't come. In its place, Kurt is overwhelmed by a sudden, loud ripping, as he snaps his eyes open. It sounds more like an incredible roar and sparks fill the room, engulfing the wall in front of him. Blaine slumps forward, Kurt catching him before he hits the floor, his chest heaving and his eyes dart from side to side as he experimentally raises his hand, marvelling at his ability to move. It's then that he notices they are no longer covered in wires, instead they writhe uncontrollably at their feet, a few sparks flying from the frayed ends before they finally still.

Sebastian stands by the wall, ripping the wires from the black box where they protrude as the sparks surround him, crackling and convulsing. Only a few remain joined to his ankles but soon they drop off too.

Kurt helps Blaine to his feet shakily; he's still weary from the paralysis but has enough adrenaline pumping through him to give him strength.

"Sebastian, we have to go," he says with authority, slipping his hand into Kurt's and pulling him towards the door. Sebastian follows shortly after, leaving the black box and severed limbs of the wires to spark and crackle angrily. "Professor Hughes must already know what we're doing; he's the only one who could have activated the probes. Which means he could have told anyone; they're going to be looking for us." Blaine explains between pants as the three run, Kurt's fingers still laced with his own.

They've barely turned the first corner however when an intense burning fills every crevice of Kurt's body. He falls to the floor, causing Blaine to abruptly halt at the dead weight pulling on his arm.

"KURT!" he cries, Sebastian collapsing in the same instant. Kurt tries to stand, to keep going but another wave of pain sends him into a fit of agony, leaving him unable to even speak.

"Stop whatever absurd fantasy is running through your head right now, Anderson!" Blaine hears, head snapping up from where he's kneeling on the floor to see Professor Hughes looking furious and holding two Electrounits in his hand, both pointed at the two agonized bodies on the floor. "Dr Grayson is on his way as we speak as well as the security team and _your father_. What the _hell_ were you thinking?" he reproaches with a scowl.

"Let them go," Blaine says as calmly as he can manage but his voice quivers. He can't take his eyes off of Kurt, the pain etched on his face making it difficult for him to think anything but _get out get out get out_. "Stop it."

The two stare at one another heatedly, caught in a stalemate. Blaine can't do anything while Kurt and Sebastian are disabled as they are, yet Professor Hughes can't control Blaine the way he is the two Prototypes. With each passing moment, Blaine knows that the others are getting closer. He needs to do something. Now.

The staring contest lasts for all but another 5 seconds as Blaine instinctively launches himself at the other man, tackling him to the ground in a desperate wrestle for the Electrounits. He must have taken him off guard as one of them slips from his grip and slides across the floor. Blaine kicks and shoves in his attempt to get to it first, earning him an elbow in the chin and a clenched fist pulling painfully at his hair. He reaches out, fingers not quite long enough to make the last inch or so.

A third hand comes out of nowhere, snatching the device easily. Relief floods through Blaine at the sight of Sebastian, something he never would have thought possible. Sebastian kicks mercilessly. There's a crack and a howl of pain and suddenly the hand tugging at Blaine's scalp is gone.

There's blood everywhere as Blaine notices Hughes' shattered nose but he has no time or desire to sympathise. He grabs for the second Electrounit, pocketing the both of them before hurrying to Kurt.

"Are you okay?" he asks with concern. Kurt nods his reply before sitting up. He shivers as his body is still racked with tiny tremors but he's alive; he's okay. Blaine helps him up and again they run. Kurt trails behind slightly but Blaine pulls him along with a sense of urgency.

"Hey, Lab Coat," Sebastian says, addressing Blaine. "I'm gonna need those syringes you took from this coat," he pulls angrily at the lapel, disgusted at being forced to wear such a thing.

Blaine scoffs, "Are you insane or do you just think I'm stupid," he says with a laugh.

"Hey!" Sebastian exclaims fiercely, a hand coming to tug on Blaine's sleeve, bringing all of them to a halt. "You heard what that other guy said, there's more coming after us. We can either fight them or just let them take us. You're the only one with actual weapons and are you really arrogant enough to think you can fight them on your own?"

"Sebastian, recklessly killing people is _not _going to improve our chances of getting out-"

"They're going to kill _us_," Sebastian all but shouts. "So why _shouldn't_ we try and kill them first?"

"Because it's not moral to-" Blaine tries to reason.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about morals," Sebastian growls back.

"Please stop fighting!" Kurt begs, pulling on Blaine's arm and urging them to keep going. They begin to move again but Sebastian's hand doesn't leave Blaine's sleeve.

"Please, just give me something to defend myself with," he presses. "I don't want to get caught again."

Blaine sighs, finally relenting as he pulls out one of the syringes from his coat and reluctantly handing it to the taller boy.

"You don't have to use all of it to knock someone out, just be careful and…try not to kill anyone. You'd only complicate things more."

"I think things are about to get more complicated anyway," Kurt murmurs as roughly fifteen men round the corner towards them.

"Run," Blaine commands, heaving Kurt by his arm and making a break for it in the other direction.

They run until their legs burn but the security team continue after them, seemingly unstoppable. Blaine takes them through every route he knows in the hopes of finding a way out but every time, he finds himself having to turn at the sight of more security guards blocking the way. They seem to be everywhere and avoiding them becomes more and more impossible.

"I don't know what to do," Blaine whimpers pathetically between breathes as they run. "They're going to catch us."

"Keep going!" Kurt urges before falling to the ground once more. Of course, the security guards all have Electrounits, they just needed to be in range. They're coming closer now that the three have stopped moving and Blaine panics. Determined however, Kurt pushes himself to his feet, ignoring the infuriating pain that seems to become him. He's sweating and shaking but still moving as he pulls Sebastian up too. Blaine immediately goes to assist, putting an arm around each boy's waist and driving them forward.

They're moving but they're slow and they've barely made it a few meters before the guards are almost upon them. The closer they come, the more intense the shocks get as Sebastian and Kurt struggle to stay upright.

Kurt falls again, fingers slipping from Blaine's as he howls in pain.

There are hands grabbing at Blaine, his arms are pinned behind his back and suddenly he's on the floor. Bodies are on top of him, holding him down as he struggles relentlessly but there's nothing he can do. It's checkmate.

The more he struggles, the harder they press against him until his shoulders burn with the pressure and he finally gives up the fight.

Sebastian has no such intention; despite the roaring pain that is clearly engulfing him, he struggles and thrashes kicking at anything as he howls in both rage and agony. He reaches for the syringe Blaine had given him not moments ago and thrusts it at the first target he can find.

"Shit!" One of the men exclaims, kicking Sebastian away as he stumbles backwards slightly. Some of the other's try to aid the dizzy man and Sebastian takes the momentary interlude from the shocks to make his escape. Before anyone has the chance to point their own Electrounits, he is long out of range.

Blaine watches as he turns the corner out of sight while he and Kurt lay helplessly, pinned under the brutal weight of the security team.

* * *

"He destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment."

"With all due respect sir, Prototype Two destroyed the Kelkin wires-"

"Which he wouldn't have done if Anderson hadn't foolishly tried to free them."

"I believe this to be an act of protest. We cannot allow him to act on this further."

"The prototypes are property of the Dalton Research Laboratory. In attempting to free them, he was committing an act of theft."

"Furthermore, the prototypes have been proved as dangerous. He would be putting the public at risk by releasing them."

"I think we should be more concerned with _finding_ Prototype Two than discussing Anderson's crimes for the time being."

"I agree, and this mishap cannot be leaked to the public. If it gets out that the experiments here are potentially dangerous _and_ one of them is on the loose then we'll have all sorts of questions to answer for."

Mr Anderson sits quietly as these people, his colleagues, discuss the misdeeds of his son, hands clasped against the table as he tries to arrange everything in his mind. A screen before him displays the room in which he and the two prototypes are being held which he watches carefully, everything falling into place piece by piece.

"I think I've heard enough. Please bring Mr Anderson in now."


	10. Chapter 10

Sebastian leans against the wall, heaving deep breaths; he has finally managed to lose the Lab Coats. Kurt and Blaine have been captured; it's just him now.

He admits the Lab Coat – _Blaine,_ he reminds himself – is who he has to thank for this second chance at escape. He owes him a great deal, or he would if his situation wasn't hopeless.

Alarms are sounding and the rest of the Lab Coats are still looking for him. Admittedly, the odds are stacked against him, but if he can avoid drawing attention to himself, he might just escape from this place. Pulling the coat Blaine had supplied him tight around his shoulders, he keeps his head down in an attempt to be inconspicuous; running will only draw attention to himself. He walks in a determined fashion as people pass him, looking anxious in their search and much to his relief, they pass right by him without a second glance.

All Sebastian needs to do is blend in; if he can do that then he can get out. So when he passes a suspicious looking Lab Coat looking at him curiously, he decides to take a risk as he approaches the man. He keeps one hand in his pocket, clutching the syringe Blaine had given him just in case this doesn't work. He'd only used half on the Lab Coat before, just as Blaine had told him; the effect would be the same but he gets twice the use out of one syringe.

"You, Sir," he says not unkindly but with a moderate amount of authority. "Do you have any idea which way the escaped Prototype went or do you just enjoy watching everyone else struggle in their efforts to find him?" The Lab Coat stutters slightly before replying.

"I…I don't know Professor I was just…"

"Make yourself useful or get out of the way," he finishes with a scowl as he turns to leave at the same time the Lab Coat scrambles away to make himself look busy. Sebastian smirks to himself as he continues on his way, adrenaline pulsing through him as it hits him who it was he just spoke to. A Lab Coat just took orders from _him._

He continues walking, agitated at the fact that he has to move so slowly but he keeps himself from breaking into a run. He needs to do this right this time; he won't get another chance again.

Try as he might however, Sebastian still has no idea how to get _out_ of this place. He's never been to this part of the lab before and he knows he is far from where he is kept and has lessons but there is still no sign of an exit anywhere. He notices that the room numbers decrease as he goes. Could this mean he's getting closer to the exit? What else could happen once the door numbers reach zero? He finds a set of stairs, descending them without even thinking, and his heart sinks when the door numbers are back in the thirties again until he sees the letter A beside the bold number 39. Before, a letter B had followed the numbers. He _must_ be reaching the end now!

It gets harder and harder for Sebastian to keep himself from running as he watches the door number slowly decline. There are still Lab Coats passing him busily, but now he is discreet enough not to draw attention to himself. Itching with anticipation, he allows himself to walk just that little bit faster as the door numbers drop into single digits.

He rounds the corner, ready to break into a sprint for the last stretch but stops dead when he sees it. Behind a set of glass doors, there is a wide lobby and an impossibly tall glass window making up most of the wall. He can see it, outside, so bright and _right there_. Like nothing he has ever seen before or even had the capacity to imagine. Only a fraction is visible, he sees flutters of green and a perfect, unbroken blue above but that's not what makes his heart stop. Standing just before the glass in the lobby is a group of at least twenty men, wearing black and armed with guns. Sebastian has never seen one before but he remembers learning about them, he knows what they do and he knows what the men are there for - him. They are clearly determined not to let him escape the building.

He turns, before they get a chance to really _see_ him - he somehow has a feeling they won't be as easily fooled as that other idiot Lab Coat from before – and makes his way back where he came from. He's so close, everything he has ever wanted is only several metres away, and he's walking away from it!

But what else can he do? He has no idea where any of the other exits are, even if they weren't guarded.

Sebastian scowls at the floor as he makes his way back up the steps. He won't be defeated. He's done with playing it safe. This isn't like him at all, staying low and being quiet. If he's going to get out of this place, he needs to do so with a bang. If they're blocking the exits, then he'll just make a new one.

There are people crowding around the inspection room that he ravaged; they look like technicians but Sebastian doesn't want to get close enough to find out. The wrecked scene gives him an idea though, that much damage was caused by just a few wires being destroyed. He's going to tear down this whole place so there's nowhere left for them to keep him prisoner.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Blaine murmurs in the silence of the music room. It's being used as a makeshift prison cell for them due to Sebastian's destruction of the inspection room. The passcode had been changed and the place has never before felt so empty and damned. Kurt shifts against Blaine shoulder, their sides pressed tightly together as Kurt curls into Blaine where they sit on the floor. He shivers slightly; the lab coat that Blaine had given him had been confiscated, but he says nothing in regards to the cold.

"I can't save you, I'm _useless_," Blaine scowls, hating himself for his failure.

"Please don't blame yourself," Kurt begs as he squeezes Blaine's hand tight in his own. "You tried."

"I didn't try hard enough, I could have-"

"Shhh," Kurt hushes, "please." Blaine does so but it does not stop the thoughts from flooding his conscience. If only he had taken time to _think_ rather than diving in head first. If only he had come up with an actual escape plan. If only he had fought harder to rescue Kurt.

Now they were right back where they were before. Only now Blaine is in deep trouble as well. Any chance they had of escape earlier has been whittled down to nothing now.

"I just…this can't be it," he says, refusing to accept defeat. Kurt had been anticipating this for a while; it was nothing new to him. Blaine however was having trouble grasping the fact that soon, Kurt will be dead and the only evidence of his existence will be the faint memory of soft, tentative lips brushing against his own. He squeezes Kurt's hand, as if by holding him as tight as possible, they will never have to part for anything. Resting his head against Kurt's, he breathes in the familiar, sickly clinical smell of the lab that lingers in his hair, just another reminder that Kurt doesn't belong to him; he belongs to the lab.

He presses a kiss against the impossibly soft hair but it's not enough; he needs to be closer. He gently cups Kurt's chin as he guides his face to look at him, eyes full of wonder and sorrow before slowly leaning in, tasting Kurt for what will most likely be the last time. He can't forget this; he _refuses_ to allow himself to. So he memorizes everything.

Kurt's bottom lip quivers slightly whenever they get this close. His eyes always flutter closed after a few moments and Blaine can feel the lashes flutter against his cheek. He even commits himself to remembering the stale taste of the lab that is present even in Kurt's mouth.

Their lips part but Blaine keeps his face close, not wanting to be any further from Kurt than he is right now. He drops tiny kisses against his lips, unable to move away. He is so engrossed in the other boy that he doesn't realise that his own face is damp with tears until Kurt thumbs away some of the wetness, smiling painfully.

"Please don't be sad," he says, trying and failing to keep his voice strong. Blaine says nothing, instead pulling Kurt into his arms, hugging him as tight as possible. Neither of them whisper comforting words like 'it's okay' because they both know it won't be.

Their moment of ease is short lived, as the door beeps, opening seconds later. Blaine's heart sinks when he sees his father in the middle of what appears to be some sort of argument. He strains to see past him, noticing Mr Grey Beard and Professor Hughes with a bloody cloth pressed against his face standing behind him.

"Just give me a minute alone with my son!" Blaine's father demands. "I'll take them to you after I'm done…I can handle them!" The other two eventually grant him his request, reluctantly allowing Mr Anderson to enter the room alone as the door shuts behind him.

Blaine stares carefully ahead, hand still entwined with Kurt's.

"What were you _thinking_?" he hisses, breaking the unbearable silence, "Do you know how much damage you've done?" Of course he is furious, Blaine expected nothing less. He sees his father's eyes trail down to where his and Kurt's hands clasp each other, gripping it tighter in response. He says nothing on the matter however but Blaine can see him looking at him differently, as if he's a completely different person. "You don't think before you act, you don't consider the consequences. How could you have possibly thought that this was a good idea?"

"I was thinking that I couldn't let you punish Kurt for something he didn't do," Blaine answers back, finally defending himself.

"Kurt?" his father ponders curiously, astonishment briefly replacing his anger before he scoffs. "I haven't heard that name in years."

"Well it's _his_ name. He isn't just a number, he's a person and he has a name." It's the first time Blaine has ever answered his father back like this. He can feel his fingers trembling but Kurt's hand is there to anchor him. He rises to his feet and Kurt stands with him. "What I did wasn't wrong. You're the one who's wrong, everyone else in this damn building is all _wrong_ and what you're doing is just cruel." Blaine hates the way his voice cracks on the last word, he had been strong up until then but his father's unmoving and unreadable expression hits a nerve. It's the same way he looked at him when he came out. It's the way he looked when he brought home his first boyfriend. It's the look that hasn't left his face since he told a room full of people what Sebastian did to him.

Seemingly unaffected by anything Blaine had said, Mr Anderson unhooks two sets of handcuffs from his belt before striding towards Blaine with a determined look in his eye. However before he has a chance to handcuff either of them, a faint rumble interrupts him followed by a piercing ringing that sounds throughout the entire floor. Mr Anderson's head snaps back as he rushes back towards the door.

"Don't move," he orders - as if there was somewhere they could go - and in an instant he is gone.

"Do you know what that was?" Kurt asks as Blaine takes several steps towards the door. Kurt follows behind and Blaine shakes his head.

"It's the fire alarm but-" Blaine's eyes widen in panic. "No," he whispers to himself before hurtling himself at the locked door, banging his fist against it relentlessly.

"Blaine, what's going on?" Kurt asks in wonder of Blaine's urgency.

"If there's a fire and we're trapped in here then we're done for," he explains simply. The word _if_ used loosely because he has no doubt about it. They wouldn't set off a drill at a time like this, when a prototype is loose.

"I…I don't understand…" Kurt says. _Of course he doesn't know what fire is,_ Blaine thinks.

"Just…stay calm, okay?" he says despite him being the one who needs calming down. Kurt just stands by, watching worriedly as Blaine continues pounding the door. It doesn't budge and he feels so helpless. He's not used to being caged up like this.

* * *

Sebastian's eyes glaze over as he stares in awe at the mass of orange, red and yellow that dances before him. It's hot, almost unbearably, and he doesn't dare move any closer. It's something entirely foreign to him, almost like magic. How does this…thing…move so fluidly? And what is it? It's definitely not solid, it moves too freely for that. It's almost alive in its movements.

There is a sense of satisfaction when it comes to building something. Creating that which previously did not exist; inventing a solution when necessity calls. Sebastian could be considered the result of that necessity as he was once nothing more than an idea, like all inventions. The Lab Coats can have their creation but Sebastian is much more thrilled by the idea of destruction. Of bringing down something, creating nothing where something once stood.

All he had done was smash more of their equipment he had found in an empty, unlocked room. Security is less strict the further he gets from the centre of the building, where he and the other prototypes were kept. Doors are left unlocked and equipment is not put away. He had picked up one of the lab stools, tested the weight in his hand before he swung mercilessly at the table full of strangely shaped glass. Shards of broken glass and pieces of metal flew everywhere, as well as liquids that seemed to hiss and steam angrily once they met.

Sparks had flown when he smashed up their computers as they had when he ripped away the wires before, and in an instant, he was sent hurtling backwards by a deafening explosion.

For a moment he had thought it was all over, he ached everywhere and his skin was blackened and stinging with pain however it was all forgotten when he saw the room engulfed by the orange, red and yellow.

Sebastian slowly backs towards the door as it grows and grows until the room is almost entirely swallowed by it. Everything turns black, much like his skin. Whatever it is, it's destroying everything it comes into contact with and Sebastian can't keep the satisfied grin off his face when it dawns on him that this is exactly what he needs.

He is utterly enthralled by the strange substance but he knows he needs to go. The moment it burst into life, alarms sounded everywhere, even louder than the ones already filling the building with an air of panic. It can't be long before people come and the smoke it seems to be producing is beginning to choke him.

After taking one last glance at the raging mass, Sebastian finally turns to leave in search of other places where he can create more of whatever that was. He only makes it halfway down the hall however before another even louder ear shattering explosion sends him stumbling to the ground. Debris falls on all sides of him and it takes several moments to collect himself as he adjusts to the sudden ringing in his ears from the noise. Everything spins as he climbs back to his feet shakily but the moment he sees the wreckage, the burning walls and blackened floor, he doesn't even try to stop the hysterical chuckle that escapes him. He laughs freely, allowing his entire body to tremor until his gut aches. This is an escape plan more to his liking.

* * *

The room trembles as another explosion sounds from nearby, the doors rattling under the sudden force.

They're done for. There's no way out and after that explosion, there's no chance this place can stay standing for long. Blaine's breathing becomes strained as he tries to keep himself calm but to no effect.

Kurt on the other hand is seemingly oblivious to their dire situation. Either that or he truly has accepted the fact that he's going to die today one way or another. "I love you," Blaine chooses to whisper, thankful that he manages to keep his voice steady. Kurt blinks several times before smiling, a faint blush evident on his cheeks. He's not sure if Kurt really understands 'love' but he just needs to say it. He takes the boy's hands in both of his own, heart pounding as he hears a crash in the distance, knowing they may only have a short while left. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you out of here but…at least you won't have to suffer any more," Blaine promises and Kurt nods before pulling his hands from Blaine's and slinging them over his neck in a tight embrace instead.

He kisses Kurt's cheek gently as he wraps his arms around him tightly. He is jolted out of the warmness however when the door crashes open and Blaine's head snaps towards the door, fearing the worst. What he doesn't expect is to see his father rushing towards them both.

"Blaine!" he cries, panic clear in his voice. "That _thing_ is running rampage, he'll destroy the whole lab! We need to get out of here."

"Dad! Y…you're letting us go?" Blaine says, stunned, unsure why he's even arguing.

"You really think I could just leave you here to die? Get moving," he demands, though he eyes Kurt wearily.

Without giving his father time to protest about bringing Kurt, Blaine reaches for his hand and rushes for the door.

The lab is a wreck. Everything is in disarray and people are running around in their widespread panic, trying to get out. Blaine allows his father to hastily lead the way as he and Kurt keep up the pace several steps behind. No one takes any notice of them, all too preoccupied with the fire and getting themselves safe.

It's not until they've almost reached the stairs – the elevators being out of use – that they actually encounter the fire. A row of rooms are alight, the flames clawing through the incinerated doors and licking at the otherwise empty hallway as the thick acrid smoke pours from the destroyed rooms.

Blaine makes sure to hold tight onto Kurt's hand to stop him from getting too close.

"Be careful," he warns, noticing how Kurt looks totally in awe of the disaster but it's not long before the smoke surrounds them, causing their throats to burn. Blaine covers his mouth as they wade through the smoke but Kurt begins to cough violently, clearly not knowing to do the same.

"Blaine," he chokes, clinging onto his arm with both hands as he panics. Blaine responds by ripping off his shirt and pressing it to Kurt's mouth and nose. It's not damp but it's the best he can do.

"Keep this against your face and try to stay low," he instructs, crouching down himself as Kurt follows. He nods in reply, eyes wide in panic at not being able to breathe. Blaine ushers Kurt ahead of him while he trails behind and encourages him forward. His vest is soaked in sweat and he begins to feel the burn on his bare arms in the incredible heat. "Just keep crawling," he says as he moves on his hands and knees. He can hear Kurt wheezing but they've passed the worst of it now. The smoke isn't quite as thick and he can see Kurt increase his pace once the stairwell comes into view.

The reach the stairs and race down together, both coughing and panting.

"Almost there!" Blaine encourages once they get to the ground floor. Blaine takes back the rolled up shirt, unfurls it and throws it over Kurt's head.

"What are you…!" he protests as he comes to a stop, unable to see anything. Blaine tugs on his hand to assure him that he'll lead the way.

"Just in case anyone recognises you out there. Come on Kurt, were so close!" he exclaims, pulling the boy towards the glass doors.

Blaine has never felt so grateful to be outside before. There's a crowd of people, looking dishevelled but mostly unharmed, staring in horror at the burning building though Blaine doesn't pause even for one quick glance. The fire brigade are just arriving, armed with their hoses as they target the building but Blaine ignores them, keeping an arm firmly around Kurt's shoulder as he tries to locate his car, the only thing on his mind is getting away now that he's got Kurt.

"Blaine!" It's his father and he considers just making a run for it except he's not sure Kurt can run without being able to see. Instead he faces his father, heart beating painfully, sure that their freedom will be short-lived. He looks determined and Blaine notices how he looks directly at Kurt when he speaks. "I helped _you_ get out, but not Prototype One," He says firmly and Blaine's grip tightens around Kurt's shoulder. He shakes his head in denial, wondering how fast he can make it to his car.

"Dad _please-_"

"I left Prototype One in favour of saving you. _He died in the fire_." And suddenly Blaine understands, relief filling his veins. He nods in understanding.

"Prototype One died in the fire," he repeats and his father claps a hand against his shoulder, squeezing it gently. His lips are tight and his jaw is clenched and Blaine can tell he disapproves but he's still giving him this chance. It might not be a gesture of mercy or kindness, Blaine knows that he's only covering for him like this because he would be the one held responsible if it got out that he helped Kurt escape. He's only looking out for himself but it's still a _chance_ and now they're so close Blaine can hardly believe it.

"We should go…" Blaine says, gesturing to Kurt. "I think I'll head back to New York. Thank you _so much,_ Dad, I…"

"Call your mother when you get there," his father interrupts. Neither of them was ever particularly good at expressing affection around one another so Blaine is thankful for the intrusion. "She's been worried about you. But don't mention any of…" he gestures vaguely in Kurt's direction, "this."

"Of course," he promises. He turns, heading towards his before the voice of his father is calling again.

"Blaine!" He turns, seeing his father tight lipped but with a hint of concern on his face that Blaine hasn't seen in who knows how many years. "We may not see…eye to eye but…" Blaine can see this is difficult for him, but this is the most effort he's made for them to connect since before Blaine came out so he waits patiently, despite the urgent need to just _get away_, and allows his dad to finish. "But I'm proud of you, son. You showed real courage back there." With a nod and a quick smile of understanding, Blaine turns once more, leading Kurt towards his car. He doesn't trust himself to keep the tears at bay as they start swell.


	11. Chapter 11

Kurt can feel his moist breath clinging to the fabric of Blaine's shirt as Blaine pulls him in an unknown direction. His hands are locked on Kurt's arm and waist as he allows himself to be guided. A part of him realizes that they've made it, that they're outside, but everything is obscured by blanket of redness. Still he can sense so much. There's noise, lots of it. Amongst the panicked murmurings of the bodies that must be surrounding him, there is a roaring – that must be the fire, he knows that much – and above that something that sounds like heavy machinery; a wet whooshing that sounds almost like the sprinkling of water from the shower only much louder; screaming, he can definitely hear screaming and worried shouts; a screeching alarm-like sound that comes in two alternating pitches comes from somewhere in the distance, growing louder as it nears. Kurt struggles to put an image to these anonymous noises, filling the air with a sense of carnage. Instead he concentrates on the one thing he does know, if he focuses and tunes out the rest of the mindless racket he can hear them. The birds whistle above, oblivious to the scene below. It's familiar to Kurt, reminding him of Pavarotti and his unyielding optimism and he allows his mind to anchor itself on their song.

He can still smell the smoke, burning and destroying all in its path, but out here it is mixed with the scent of something…fresh. He can't explain it; it's like nothing he has ever experienced before but he's insatiable for it already and he longs to _see_. Hearing and smelling just isn't enough, he needs to witness it with his own eyes.

Kurt of course knows that he's being kept covered for a reason. It's obvious, they're so close but they still need to be careful. What a waste it would be if they were caught now! So he reluctantly keeps his hands by his sides rather than tearing away the veil as Blaine leads him across the crunchy gravel beneath his feet.

They come to a stop and Kurt briefly wonders if maybe they're finally safe; he feels Blaine's grip on him loosen before it's gone altogether and suddenly Kurt feels like he's about to drown. The hysteria builds as the chains on his anchor snap and he's left floundering, unable to see and utterly lost in this vast world that he knows nothing about. Where's Blaine? He tries to voice this but the rush of fear has left him overwhelmed and all that comes out is a choked sob.

"Sorry, sorry!" A voice that is unmistakeably Blaine's pipes up from beside him and the relief is almost suffocating, "I didn't mean to let you go without warning," he apologises as Kurt tries to get his breath back. The momentary nightmare fading away as Blaine places his hand back onto Kurt's arm. There's a click, a beep and heavy _thunk_ and then Blaine is urging him slowly forward.

"I need you sit down," he instructs.

"What?" Kurt responds hysterically. He knows that they're still not safe yet, how is now the time for sitting?

"Just trust me," Blaine begs and Kurt does, so he sits – unsure what exactly he's sitting _on_ – as Blaine keeps hold of him firmly, "Watch your head." When Kurt is confident that he is sitting and not going to topple over, Blaine lifts his legs and shifts Kurt slightly before strapping him into the seat with a click.

"Okay, I'm going to shut the door," Blaine says calmly while Kurt is suddenly finding it difficult to breathe again. _Door? What door? Is he going back inside again?_ "And then I'll be gone but only for _literally_ five seconds okay? Try not to panic, just stay calm." There isn't even a hint of worry in Blaine's tone which allows Kurt believe him wholeheartedly. He nods under the shirt and Blaine presses a kiss against the fabric, painting a smile upon Kurt's face. There's another _thunk_, slightly louder than the first and then Kurt is enveloped in silence. The overwhelming array of noise suddenly muted and an eerie nothingness taking its place. He counts the seconds.

_One. Two._

Kurt can hear his own breath filling the silence though it offers little comfort.

_Three._

He wants nothing more than to rip off the shirt and just see. It reeks of soot and smoke but also Blaine, reminding Kurt that he trusts him. He needs to stay covered. He keeps himself covered.

_Four._

Kurt whispers the number under his breath, never feeling so alone in his life until the sound of yet another _thunk_ jerks him from his thoughts and Blaine is sitting on his left side. He didn't even take the 5 seconds he promised.

"Okay, we're getting out of here," Blaine says with determination as Kurt hears him fiddling with…something until a monstrous roar sends Kurt's heart racing and everything around him seems to vibrate with the intensity. The roar settles into a steady humming yet the vibrating refuses to cease while Kurt is both fascinated and terrified. "Just give it a few more minutes, then you can take that off okay," Blaine assures, referring to the shirt still covering everything from Kurt's view. The vibrations suddenly grow until it feels like the whole room – or wherever it is they currently are – is actually moving. In fact, Kurt is certain that is what is happening. A moving room! The outside world must be absurdly brilliant.

Kurt's heart pounds in anticipation, his urge to see the moving room growing as they move faster and faster. He can't stop the grin that erupts on his face, giddy at the fact that he's so close to seeing this world with his own eyes. They travel in the moving room for no more than 10 minutes before it begins to slow again and eventually comes to a complete stop. The roaring abruptly ceases and Kurt wonders if it's some sort of creature that makes the noise and if it's with them in the moving room. No one is looking for them now, everyone must assume Kurt died in the fire and now everything that had worried him seems to have just melted away. Kurt feels at peace.

"You can take it off now," Blaine says softly. Hands shaking with anticipation, Kurt slowly reaches for the shirt and pulls it over his head. The moment his cover is gone however his eyes automatically clench themselves shut as the intensity of the light blinds him. "What's wrong?" Blaine asks worriedly.

"It's bright!" Kurt whimpers back, covering his eyes with both hands as he tries to open them but every time he tries the brightness burns him. He can feel the dull ache behind his eyes, pounding into his skull and despite how much he tries his eyes simply won't stay open. "Blaine I can't see!" he sobs helplessly. After everything they've been through he can't even do so much as _look_ at what Blaine has strived so hard to give him.

"It's okay Kurt, here," he comforts, moving Kurt's hands out of the way and placing something on the bridge of his nose. "Try opening them now," Blaine instructs. "You've never been exposed to natural light; just give your eyes a little while to adjust and keep the sunglasses on." Kurt opens his eyes a crack, relieved when the light isn't half as piercing as before. He opens them wider now, more confident this time as whatever Blaine placed in front of his eyes seems to have darkened everything.

He can see!

Kurt looks excitedly around the moving room. It's more cramped than he pictured and the walls are made up of glass and metal and plastic. It is by far the most extraordinary room Kurt has ever been in. What's more fascinating however is the fact that he can see outside the room, and the things he sees are enough to render him speechless. The sheer vastness of everything blows him away, he's never seen so much at once. They've stopped by a stretch of land greener than any of the artificially printed colours Kurt is accustomed to. The colour is so vibrant it almost seems alive as it shifts seemingly by itself and the colour changes to reveal an impossible number of different shades; all of them are green but all of them entirely different. The green land stretches into the distance and Kurt is certain that it is never-ending, that he could traverse the place for the rest of his life and still never find its end.

He is torn out of his trance by Blaine exiting the strange room and Kurt tries not to let himself panic like before. He watches through the windows, thankful that he can see this time, as Blaine walks around the outside of the room. He opens the door and Kurt tries to get out before remembering that Blaine strapped him to the chair before they left. Blaine chuckles softly before leaning across and releasing the belt. They're so close and Kurt can smell the unmistakeable smell of _Blaine_. He can't help himself, he gently cups the other's face, bringing him in for a soft kiss. Blaine responds eagerly, pressing his lips insistently against Kurt's and he feels like nothing can ever ruin this moment. Everything seems to fall into place, as if Blaine's lips were destined to be against his and nothing can ever be good enough when they're apart.

"I wish I knew how to explain to you just how much you mean to me," Kurt sighs into Blaine's ear. Blaine responds with a soft smile and somehow, Kurt feels like he already knows. Blaine kisses him again – gentle and brief but still enough to send Kurt's heart into flutters – before entwining his fingers with Kurt's and pulling him up and out of his seat.

Kurt wants to be as close to Blaine as possible, this is everything he's ever wanted but he never imagined it to feel so colossal. He can't help but feel like if he were to let go of Blaine's hand then he would get lost and never find his way again. He's just not used to this openness; everything he's ever known has always been enclosed within four walls. Gripping onto Blaine's arm with his free hand, Kurt allows himself to just take in everything around him.

"Look!" Blaine says pointing a finger up to the brilliant, seamless blue that spreads high above their heads. Kurt knows this must be the sky that he's read so much about but never did he picture it like this. He knows that the sky isn't what Blaine is referring to however when he sees a flock of what must be at least thirty birds fluttering above. Their formation shifts through the sky as if all together they make up one huge beast though Kurt can see each individual bird, alive and free.

"They're starlings," Blaine tells him as Kurt gazes in awe. "They fly in groups for survival. By mimicking the direction and speed of those around them they can create formations like that to avoid predators. It's safer than flying alone." Kurt squeezes Blaine's hand and nods in response.

Kurt's glad he has Blaine yet he can't help but think of Sebastian. He must have gotten away after he started the fire but now he's alone, he's not quite so fortunate to have someone like Blaine introduce him to this world. Sebastian has no choice but to go it alone, vulnerable to predators and whatever else might be lurking out here. It might seem perfect and beautiful now but Kurt's not naïve enough to believe that no evil exists in this world.

"Come on!" Blaine says excitedly, pulling Kurt into the endless expanse of green. It tickles pleasantly at his bare feet, soft and slightly damp. They sit a short distance from the moving room in the greenness which, upon closer inspection, is actually made up of what must be millions of tiny strands making up a whole, much like the starlings in their incredibly formations.

"What is this?" Kurt can't help but ask, fascinated by the green strands. Blaine glances to where Kurt's eyes are focused on the ground as an amused smile spreads across his face.

"Grass!" he responds, "You're gonna be seeing this stuff everywhere! Especially in Central Park!" Kurt loves how excited Blaine is and the giddiness proves infectious as Kurt finds himself unable to stop smiling. "And this is a daisy," he says, plucking one of the green strands from the ground, it's unlike the others in that it has a bizarre yellow and white head but Kurt finds the thing somehow delicately beautiful. Blaine leans forward placing the flower into Kurt's palm and closing his hand around it, "For you!" He seals the deal with another brief peck on the lips before Kurt points to something in the distance: large, towering and green.

"What about those? Do they have a name?" he wonders.

"Trees!"

The two sit for a brief time, enjoying the warm sunshine as Blaine names everything for Kurt. He soon finds that the moving room is actually called a car and almost feels foolish for referring to it the way he did. But Blaine doesn't make him feel idiotic in the slightest; he patiently explains everything around them in as much detail as he can while Kurt eagerly soaks up the new information.

"We should probably get going," Blaine says eventually, Kurt can tell he's reluctant to leave the lavish field and he doesn't blame him; he feels like he is in paradise. But it is beginning to get darker, and he knows they can't stay in one place for too long. Kurt finds that he take off the sunglasses now, and see without hurting his eyes. "The sun's beginning to set," Blaine says and at Kurt's confused look he elaborates, "At the end of every day the sun goes down, making everything dark for a while. That's when people usually go to sleep but we've got a long drive ahead of us."

Kurt doesn't really know what to do with himself on the drive. Blaine is too occupied with controlling the car to do much more than just talk. He barely even looks at Kurt as he's too busy concentrating on where they are going. Noticing how awkward Kurt must feel, Blaine fiddles with the console on the front panel of the car until music starts playing and Kurt finds himself able to relax for a while.

He looks out of the window only to see hundreds more cars whirring past at impossible speeds. He hardly feels like they're moving at all but they're travelling just as fast as the other cars. He listens to the music, interspersed with the voice of an overly optimistic man and tries to keep up with some of the lyrics to the songs, though he doesn't understand half of them.

The scenery is dreadfully monotonous and Kurt soon grows bored, even with the music playing steadily to alleviate some of the dullness. He wants to explore, this can't be all there is to this world, he refuses to believe that, but he knows he has to stay where he is until they arrive at this 'New York' place. It's getting even darker now, and the cars surrounding them all have bright lights attached to the front of them in order to light the way. Other than that everything seems to stay the same.

The high speed at which everything seems to move past eventually starts making Kurt's eyes weary. He closes them, allowing the relief of just about _everything_ overwhelm him as he allows himself to just slip away. The world isn't going anywhere; it will still be there when he wakes up.

* * *

Blaine glances to the side, making sure to pay attention to the road while grinning to himself at how adorable Kurt looks right now. He's leaning against the window, using Blaine's shirt as a makeshift pillow and it's probably the most serene Blaine has ever seen him. He turns the volume on the radio down slightly so as not to wake him.

The hours blend into each other as Blaine drives, forcing his eyes to stay open. He glances at the clock on his dashboard; 5:30am, and the first traces of the sunrise are visible just over the horizon. It's beyond foolish of him to drive in such a state but there isn't anywhere for them to stop; Blaine has no money with him and all he wants is to be home. After spending the last few couple of months at home with his parents and then another week without even leaving the lab, Blaine has been longing for his untidy and rundown apartment. Far from perfect but it's his. Despite the time, he sends a text message to his roommate, Wes, letting him know that they'll be having a guest stay with them for a while. He's not entirely sure how he'll explain Kurt to everybody but he'll cross that hurdle when he comes to it. For now he just needs to focus on driving.

Kurt sleeps all through the night and when they _finally_ make it back to New York, the sun bright in the early morning sky, he still hasn't woken up. Blaine grabs his keys from the glove compartment, before rounding the car to open Kurt's door. He doesn't have the heart to wake him, so instead, unclips his seatbelt and takes the boy in his arms, carrying him bridal style to the apartment block. Kurt in his half-awake state is conscious enough to wrap his arms around Blaine's neck before murmuring something unintelligible and burying his face in his vest.

He struggles slightly getting the door open, juggling both Kurt and his door key in his attempt to unlock the door. When he finally does, it feels as though every happy feeling in the world rushes through the door, washing over him like a tidal wave and he just feels so content and relieved and _home_.

Wes isn't there; Blaine assumes he spent the night at his girlfriend's place. Knowing how much he hates being in an empty apartment, it wouldn't surprise him if he spent most of his nights there while Blaine has been away. He's grateful for it though. Driving nonstop from Ohio has left him too exhausted to even speak and he knows he wouldn't be able to come up with a coherent explanation for Kurt right now.

Carrying Kurt over to the sofa, he gently lays him down, arranging the cushions to ensure that he's comfortable. He barely stirs.

They made it. Blaine can hardly believe it. A month and a half ago Kurt was nothing more than an inanimate object to most people, something to ogle at and test on. Now he has a future, the potential to be anything he wants to be.

Blaine wants to bring him outside and show him everything the world has to offer; not just New York, but every minute town, every sweeping monument. But that's tomorrow. Right now, Blaine really desperately needs to sleep.

He collapses ungracefully into an adjacent armchair; falling into a deep asleep seconds after closing his eyes with the promise to himself that tomorrow he'll show Kurt the whole world.

* * *

******Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

******Update: Sequel can be found on my profile hooray!**


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